Bangladesh is set to have its first-ever early action protocol for landslides to strengthen preparedness and save lives and property from the disaster.
The Department of Disaster Management on Thursday held a consultation workshop in the capital Dhaka to draft the protocol in partnership with the Save the Children and the Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System, a non-profit organisation.
Experts and stakeholders at the event said that a national protocol was crucial for better warning and coordinated response to landslides which kill at least 30 people on average and injure many annually and cause significant damage to public property, mostly in the Chattogram Hill Tracts.
They stressed the need for identifying gaps in the current disaster management approach and fostering collaboration among various agencies.
Bangladesh already has national early action protocols for cyclone and monsoon flood, they said.
Disaster management and relief ministry additional secretary KM Abdul Wadud said that landslides had become more frequent due to unplanned and greedy activities by human.
He urged the drafting team to develop the protocol considering not only the Hill Tracts but also the country鈥檚 northern and north-eastern districts.
The official also called on all government agencies to keep allocations in their budgets for disaster response during and after emergencies.
Department of Disaster Management director general Razwanur Rahman, its management information and monitoring wing director Netai Chandra Sarkar, and Save the Children鈥檚 humanitarian wing director Md Mostak Hossain, among others, spoke at the workshop.
They expressed concern over the misuse of hills for farming and other risky practices that are making the slopes increasingly vulnerable.
They also emphasised the need for a comprehensive national protocol for managing landslide disasters, with a strong focus on early action to save lives and protect property.
