Vulnerabilities Of Bangladesh To Cyclone Disaster & Adaptation Options

Bangladesh is one of the moderate developing and most disaster prone country in the world. This country is already vulnerable to extreme climate events such as cyclones, storm surges and floods. During the last 30 years cyclone has taken a great place in Bangladesh and it has been hit with worst ever cyclone in its history. All these natural disaster pose a great threat to sustainable development of the country. Over last 30 years (1970-2007) different scales of cyclones have been affecting the country with loss of valuable lives and property. It was estimated that about five million people currently live in ‘High Risk Areas’ (HRAs) along the western, central and south-eastern coasts of Bangladesh. Of these, 4 million live in ‘Very High Risk Areas’. Approximately 9 million people need more shelter places were needed in the three cyclone-prone zones by the year 2001 and 12.5 million by 2021 as a result. In the last 30 years, nearly 900,000 people died by cyclones and six out of nine depressions formed in the Bay of Bengal normally cross the belt of Bangladesh almost every year.