Community Perception regarding Disaster Risk Reduction Management Program in Dacope Upazila of Khulna District

Disaster negatively affects the people of coastal area. Due to lower economic background, lack of proper preparedness and recover techniques the people of coastal area have suffered more vulnerabilities during disaster. People specially the poor of coastal area face many barriers to reduce disaster risk. Yet, they are not conscious about disaster management system. This study aims to discover vulnerabilities of the local people in various stages and to know about the disaster risk reduction programs initiated in Dacope upazilla of Bangladesh and to know about the perception of community people about those program. This also analyzed the impact, effectiveness of the disaster affected people and also sorted out the causes as well as suggest the improving techniques for recovering from this vulnerabilities. The study was descriptive and based on qualitative research design. Data were collected through purposive sampling by case study, focus group discussion (FGD) and key informant interviews (KII). Data were collected from the people of Kamarkhola union of Dacope Upazilla who experienced numerous disaster during their lifetime. Moreover they experienced several kind of vulnerabilities during their lifetime. Among them, they face housing, physical, social, economic and occupational vulnerability most. They suffered a lot of financial losses, poor housing, lack of shelter, proper medical care, unsuitable embankment, salinity of water, unpaved road and shortage of relief as well as recovery facilities. Major findings of this study was to know about disaster risk reduction management programs. Many of the community people had taken strategies for themselves. Government, NGO and other voluntary organization provide facilities to them but the effectiveness was not satisfactory. This study recommends to increase the facilities of government and non- government organizations to reduce the misery of more vulnerable people. Further studies can be developed from this study for proper examining of disaster risk reduction and run various project to help those people of that area.

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