To face the challenges of Flood 2007, CPD has prepared a document reflecting on policy priorities to face the emerging challenges. The policy brief was based on CPD's earlier research on floods (1998 and 2004) and inputs obtained through an expert group consultation on August 4.

The present write-up summarises salient points of CPD's policy brief. Incidentally, some of the suggestions mentioned in the policy brief have already been addressed since the preparation of the document.

General policies and actions
1. The government may consider an appeal to all citizens and organisations to donate to the Chief Adviser's Relief Fund.

2. The government has to make it clear that it welcomes participation of all NGOs, private sector and business, voluntary organisations, civil society organisations, professional bodies and associations, and citizens in the relief and rehabilitation activities. Such a mobilisation should, as far as possible, be coordinated by the local civil administration.

3. The government will have to undertake an extraordinary effort to spearhead such a mobilisation. The local civil administration will have to play the leading role in involving all stakeholders to sustain the food supply and contribute to the relief operations. The armed forces and the BDR, who are already involved in food distribution, will supplement these efforts.

4. Traditionally, the political parties have played an important role in mobilising relief efforts in Bangladesh. The caretaker government should think about sending clear signal at various levels to the effect that it welcomes relief effort by all concerned, including the political parties, on the understanding that such initiatives are focused purely on humanitarian activities.

5. In the absence of an active role of traditional political players, the media and civil society are expected to play an active and constructive role in providing voice to the affected people. This will ensure that the needs of the people are readily communicated to the authorities and that relief goods are delivered, where they are most needed, and on time.

6. In view of the constrained supply situation of food-grains in the global and the domestic markets, and the rise in domestic prices, the government needs to defer any decision as regards an upward revision of prices of fuel, gas, fertiliser and electricity.

7. In view of the evolving flood situation, the government will need to carefully assess whether a call for international relief should be made, and, if so, what should be the appropriate moment for this.

8. Appropriate security and safety measures should be taken to safeguard flood marooned people and their property from miscreants.

Relief operations
1. According to the Standing Orders on Disaster Management, the Disaster Management Committees at the national, district and thana level need to be activated immediately. The government needs to mobilise at all levels, the development NGOs, community based organisations (CBOs), private sector bodies and concerned individual citizens along with the development partners to participate in and provide support for relief activities. The local administration needs to gear up its role as the initiator and coordinator of the relief effort in their respective areas.

2. The NGOs, CBOs, private sector bodies and other civil society organisations are expected to intensify their relief and rehabilitation work. To this end, the chief advisor may like to convene a meeting of the relevant important actors in this field to discuss their role in the relief effort.

3. The food security situation needs to be regularly reviewed in the context of rising prices in global and regional markets, the current levels of food stocks and food in the pipeline, and the possibility of a prolonged flood. The current food stocks should be replenished in line with enhanced demand through both public and private imports. Energetic steps should be taken to facilitate cross-border trade and to encourage private food-grain importers to open letters of credit for food imports. The government may like to sit with the potential importers and leading bankers to address this issue on an urgent basis.

4. The government has to publicly notify public food stock and the distribution status in different thanas and districts and monitor this on a daily basis to stabilise the market and to instil confidence in the citizens. Such public notifications should be readily available in real time to the local community. This process would demonstrate transparency in the governance of the relief process and discourage possible speculative behaviour on the part of the less scrupulous traders.

5. It should be ensured that relief allocations match the number of affected people in various localities and the actual demand on the ground. This will require a high level of coordination and close oversight of the program to ensure a prompt response as well as percent misallocation of scarce resources. Priority should be given to provide food, medicine and drinking water.

6. The micro-credit programs have to be sustained, as was the case in earlier flood years, to mitigate the misery of the rural poor. It is expected that the micro-credit operators will make available relief grants to its borrowers and also reschedule debts where necessary. Borrowers from government sector financial institutions should also be provided with similar support.

7. Government machinery should be fully geared to initiate the VGF and VGD activities programmed under the ADP in the flood affected areas. It is pertinent to mention here that there is an allocation amounting Tk 1,649 crore, in National Budget of FY 2007-08, for VGD, VGF, Test Relief and Gratuitous Relief (GR). Post-flood rehabilitation activities need to be integrated into the regular anti-poverty programs of the government. An independent monitoring mechanism should be put in place to ensure that the VGF and VGD beneficiaries are correctly targeted and that those in need are not overlooked. Regular feedback from this oversight exercise will enable the government to closely calibrate this program to mitigate distress promptly and effectively and also to avoid wastage and reduce opportunities of corruption in the distribution process.

Rehabilitation efforts
1. Rehabilitation effort will require a rapid assessment of damage to crop, livestock, fisheries, houses, roads and infrastructure. A reliable damage assessment will be helpful for designing and undertaking an appropriate rehabilitation plan.

2. Greater availability of late variety aman seedlings will need to be ensured, particularly taking note of the possibility of a protracted flood. Availability of fertilizer on demand, at the price fixed by the government has to be ensured. There should not be any increase in fertilizer price, at least, till the aman cultivation is over. For supplementary irrigation, “diesel cards” have to be introduced and targeted effectively.

3. In case the flood is prolonged, there should be a plan beyond the aman season. Provision for seed, fertiliser and irrigation for both the aman and boro season, possibly supplied on a cost free basis to the marginal farmers, and at a subsidised rate to other farmers, is required. If this be the case, distribution of seeds of Rabi crops like mustard, potato, maize, vegetables, etc. will need to be ensured. Such an investment of public resources will be justified both for stimulating agricultural production as well as mitigating poverty. Again experience with earlier floods has demonstrated that if an adequate supply of inputs, at affordable prices, is made available to the farmers they have the capacity to respond to the challenge of significantly enhance their production to compensate for flood related crop losses.

4. For agriculture rehabilitation activities, the government should have a coordinated initiative, particularly involving the private sector banks, along with the specialised government banks, to enhance inflow of rural credit.

5. With regard to post-flood strategy, government should prioritise rehabilitation over reconstruction.

6. Reallocation of ADP for repair and reconstruction of roads, culverts, small bridges, educational institutes, and health care centres must be based on dependable damage estimations in the respective areas.

7. As part of post-flood rehabilitation program, the government should think of initiating an Employment Guarantee Scheme in particular areas. The need to correct entitlement failure through rapidly restoring purchasing power in the hands of those in most distress in yet another lesson learned from dealing with past disasters.

8. Small and cottage industries and other marginal activities adversely affected by the flood need to be supported under rehabilitation program through special lending programs offered at low interest rates to those affected by the floods.

Finally, there is a need for demonstrating more urgency in addressing the tasks at hand, with improvements in coordination among the relevant government agencies and between the government and non-government actors. This can serve to instil an overall sense of confidence among the citizens as well as to mobilise them to meet the challenge posed by the floods.

The authors are, respectively, Executive Director, Research Director, and Senior Research Fellow of the Centre for Policy Dialogue. They have received inputs from a group of experts.