“Gaps on the Ground”

Recognizing Bangladesh’s extreme vulnerability to nature-triggered disasters, especially along the coastal regions, the national government of the country has formulated numerous disaster management policies. There have been significant shifts in the policy and institutional domains, especially since the 1990s, emphasizing decentralization of emergency and disaster management to local-level institutions. Despite the country’s great strides in developing such policies for disaster risk reduction and for effective preparedness and response, the degree to which these policies have been implemented at the local level remains unknown. Against this backdrop, the objectives of this study were as follows: (i) to examine the functioning and effectiveness of local-level disaster management institutions in coastal regions of Bangladesh; (ii) to analyze the extent to which national disaster management policies have been implemented by these local institutions (e.g., Union Parishad and locally active NGOs); and (iii) to identify the major barriers against successful implementation of national policies at the local level. We applied a qualitative methodological approach and, using techniques from the Participatory Rural Appraisal toolbox, collected field data from community members, stakeholders, government and non-government personnel, and policy makers. Our findings revealed that the smooth operation and effectiveness of local-level institutions largely depends on compliance with good governance criteria and the degree to which they successfully adopt and implement national disaster response policies. Coastal inhabitants reported that local governments have generally failed to implement national disaster management and risk reduction policies as the region at large suffers from rampant corruption, political favoritism, a lack of transparency and accountability, and minimal inclusion of local community members in decision-making. We also found that interactive disaster governance, decentralization of disaster management, and local institutional capacity building are not only catalysts for rapid recovery but also are required for strengthening community resilience to future disaster shocks.