WB to construct 330 new disaster shelters by 2017

The World Bank will construct at least 330 new cyclone shelters in the cyclone-prone areas of Bangladesh by 2017.

Official sources said the WB, under its Emergency 2007 Cyclone Recovery and Restoration Project (ECRRP), has already constructed 136 multipurpose disaster shelters that double up as primary schools during non-emergency situations. 

Apart from this, 65 more new shelters will be completed by June this year, the sources said.

Under the project, repairing 260 kilometres of coastal embankment out of targeted 450 in different areas of the country has been completed.

Talking to the news agency today, a high official of Local Government and Engineering Department (LGED) said the World Bank has been supporting the government through the ECRRP to restore livelihoods of the people affected by Cyclone Sidr (2007) and Cyclone Aila (2009). 

The official said the ECRRP has been constructing new cyclone shelters, repairing existing shelters and building shelter access roads in cyclone-prone areas.

The LGED official said the project has provided agricultural support to farmers through the provision of agricultural tools, livestock, fish fingerlings, household silos and hands-on training on the use of such technology.

The project is also supporting the preparation of the first phase of a 15-year government programme for disaster risk reduction.

To complete the project, the World Bank has so far supported ECRRP with US$324 million.

The Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery and Bangladesh Climate Change Resilience Fund have also contributed to the project.