Ctg workshop seeks local access to disaster management fund for early action

Published : Monday, 17 November, 2025 at 7:44 PM Count : 273

A daylong workshop in Chattogram on Monday underscored the urgent need to make the Disaster Management Fund (DMF) more accessible to local authorities so they can take anticipatory action ahead of landslides, flash floods and other recurrent hazards.

The event, titled ‘Exploring pathways to institutionalize the Disaster Management Fund for Anticipatory Action’, was held at the Peninsula Chittagong and jointly organised by YPSA, Save the Children and RIMES, with support from ECHO. Officials and experts at the programme said the government must move beyond reactive relief and adopt a forecast-based funding mechanism to reduce losses during disasters.

K M Abdul Wadud, additional secretary of the disaster management and relief ministry, attended as chief guest and said that Chattogram should “mark the beginning of a new era” in the use of the Disaster Management Fund. He noted that although the fund was established in 2012 and its regulations finalised in 2021, its proactive use remains limited.

Wadud highlighted that Bangladesh now has nearly eight million volunteers engaged in disaster-related activities and that a National Volunteer Policy is being developed to create a digital deployment platform for emergency response.

The workshop was chaired by Chattogram district administration's additional deputy commissioner (Education & ICT) Pathan Md Saiduzzaman. Deputy secretaries Asim Chandra Banik and Sanzida Yasmin delivered keynote presentations outlining the potential of the DMF in supporting early actions based on reliable forecasts. Representatives from local administration, including UNOs, AC Land, Chattogram Metropolitan Police, DRRO, PIO, DPHE and Fire Service officials, joined discussions on operational gaps and necessary reforms.

Speakers said that delays in accessing funds often limit the effectiveness of local disaster preparedness. They stressed that district and upazila administrations should be authorised to withdraw and utilise DMF allocations swiftly when scientific alerts indicate impending hazards.

During the discussions, participants recommended establishing a streamlined policy framework that would link early warnings with automatic fund activation.

Additional deputy commissioner Saiduzzaman said the process of operationalizing the fund had already begun and encouraged upazilas to seek allocations without delay, noting that proposals would be forwarded to the ministry for approval. He said effective use of the DMF at the local level could significantly improve Bangladesh’s preparedness and response capacity.

Organisers said the workshop’s recommendations will be compiled and shared with the Disaster Management and Relief Ministry as part of a broader advocacy push to institutionalise anticipatory action within the country’s disaster financing system.

FP/MI