Drop precondition of appointing foreign experts

Foreign donors, especially World Bank, should drop preconditions of involving international consultants in the country's disaster management projects as it hampers the application of local expertise and the maximum utilisation of resources, said experts at a workshop yesterday.
Disaster Management Bureau organised the workshop, “Multi-Hazard Risk and Vulnerability Assessment Modeling and Mapping (MRVA)”, at Hotel Sonargaon in the capital.
Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre (ADPC) and Institute of Water Modeling (IWM) are carrying out a study on a project on MRVA.
Addressing as the chief guest, Disaster Management and Relief Division Secretary M Aslam Alam said the practise of this precondition prevents the appointment of local experts, even if they are available.
Development partners should provide the scope for the appointment of local expertise in development projects so that their knowledge can be put into practise, he said.
Prof Dr Jamilur Reza Choudhury, vice chancellor of University of Asia Pacific, said, “We, as a country, are becoming more dependent on foreign expertise day by day instead of allowing the local expertise to be applied in the country.”
The speakers said the study on the MRVA project would create the basis for “building long term preparedness through strengthening disaster risk management capacity in the country…
“…as well as enhance long term disaster risk mitigation and reduction ability of Disaster Management Bureau.”
The workshop's main objectives were to identify areas in the country prone to geological, hydro-meteorological and technological hazards and to assess the exposure of people, property, infrastructure and economic activities to the hazards.
Disaster Management Bureau Director General Ahsan Zakir chaired the inaugural session where some 60 representatives of different organisations were present.
ADPC Executive Director NMSI Arambepola, ADPC Special Adviser Dr Bhichit Rattakul, Planning Division Secretary-in-Charge Bhuiyan Shafiqul Islam and Disaster Management Bureau Director (planning and training) Didar Ahmed also spoke at the workshop.