Bangladesh is a low lying country that faces sea and drains 92% of the snow melt from the vast Himalayan mountain range. This causes the area to begeographically one of the most vulnerable places for severe flood. Bangladesh experienced very big floods about once every 20 years. But recent experience shows that, during last 20 years worst floods happened in 1987, 1988, 1998 and 2004. So new patterns show big floods recur every 5 or 10 years. To protect some 240,000 km national, regional, district and rural roads with an asset value of approximately US$ 25 billion against such naturaldisaster, Government policies are drawn to identify the options for mitigation. Three essential steps are categorized to be taken up simultaneouslyto achieve rational integrated road network preservation management from flood damage: (i) development of policies to minimize damages in future, (ii) investment in best possible way, and (iii) strengthening of institutional capacity. Amongst several issues, lessons from experience needed to beidentified including resource constraint, socio-economic aspects, lack ofpreparedness to deal with the emergencies and drawing of a national levelintegrated mitigation plan. A national workshop just after the 2004 floodsuggested mitigation/preventive measures to be adopted as national policies. Amongst other steps, the Government of Bangladesh has earmarked emergency fund to meet such disasters. Departments responsible for road buildinghave developed ad-hoc plans to meet the flood emergency along with other agencies of the Government, i.e. armed forces, national volunteers, village defence parties etc. Flood shelters along with emergency facilities for air lifting of marooned people have been constructed in the flood prone areas. For the covering abstract see ITRD E139491.
Abstract