LocationsEmpowering local communities to withstand floods, cyclones, and lightning through climate-smart, community-built infrastructure.
Resilience in Action: How communities are Safeguarding Lives during disasters Through Climate-Smart Infrastructures in Bangladesh
October 13, 2025
A newly constructed climate-resilient riverbank platform and guide wall in Sunamganj under the LoGIC Project, protecting homes and livelihoods from seasonal floods and erosion.
©UNDP Bangladesh
By A K M Azad Rahman, Project Coordinator, LoGIC Project, UNDP Bangladesh;
Tahmina Tamanna, Climate Resilient Infrastructure Analyst, LoGIC Project, UNCDF Bangladesh;
Tanishaa Arman Akangkha, Knowledge Management and Communications Associate, LoGIC Project, UNDP Bangladesh
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Bangladesh is acutely exposed to climate risks and ranks 9th globally among countries most vulnerable to climate-induced disasters. Each year, floods, cyclones, and lightning strikes threaten millions of lives and livelihoods. The economic toll is staggering—around US $3 billion annually, equivalent to 1–2% of GDP. Yet the numbers do not capture the non-economic losses: displacement, trauma, erosion of dignity, and loss of hope.
For rural communities, these risks are lived realities. But with simple, locally driven infrastructure, the cycle of loss can be broken. The Local Government Initiative on Climate Change (LoGIC)—a partnership of the Government of Bangladesh, UNDP, UNCDF, the European Union, Sweden, and Denmark—has been working to make this possible.
As of September 2025, LoGIC has supported 1,002 climate-adaptive schemes, directly benefiting 1.58 million people across nine districts. These include lightning sheds, signal towers, guide walls, resilient water systems, and more—each small in scale but transformative in impact.
©UNDP Bangladesh
Lightning Sheds: Reducing Deaths from a Rising Hazard
Lightning has become one of the deadliest hazards in Bangladesh, claiming hundreds of lives each year, especially among farmers and day laborers. To address this, LoGIC built 21 lightning sheds in Sunamganj, each equipped with lightning arresters.
For Abdul Hannan, a 52-year-old daily laborer from Ramjibonpur Kanda, the shed has changed everything:
“Pani khawar ar jiraiya jawar ekkhan jaigaa—A place to drink water and take rest.”
Paired with awareness campaigns, these shelters have strengthened both physical safety and knowledge, turning a once unpredictable hazard into a more manageable risk.
©UNDP Bangladesh
Guide Walls: Defending Against Floods and Erosion
“Afal” in haor regions and the increasing intensity and frequency of riverine floods are causing riverbank erosion, displacement, crop loss, and damage to property. Families often exhaust scarce savings on temporary sandbag defenses, only to see them collapse with each new flood.
Recognizing this recurring risk, the LoGIC project has supported the construction of 74 road-protection guide walls and 46 village (Hati) protection walls across Kurigram, Bhola, Barguna, Patuakhali, and Sunamganj. These structures serve as vital disaster risk reduction measures by preventing loss and strengthening community resilience.
For Protima Rani Das, a 50-year-old from Telgari Hati in Sunamganj, the impact was transformative. Each year she lost 6,000–8,000 Taka to erosion until a guide wall secured her home:
“This Hati protection guide wall gave us hope. Now I can plan for the future.”
Today, Protima runs a poultry farm with 2,000 chickens—turning resilience into opportunity.
©UNDP Bangladesh
Signal Towers: Early Warnings That Save Lives
During stormy weather in coastal districts, timely evacuation can mean the difference between life and death. LoGIC has installed signal towers to ensure that communities receive cyclone warnings, even when television, radio, or mobile networks fail—helping fishermen return safely from the sea and villagers move to shelters before storms hit. Three signal lights and distributed safety equipment have strengthened local early-warning systems, reducing vulnerability.
Roads, Shelters, and Safe Water: Protecting the Most Vulnerable
LoGIC has also focused on connectivity and essential services during emergencies:
136 km of roads, bridges, and landing stages have improved evacuation routes.
35 climate-resilient WASH facilities and repairs to 10 shelters have made evacuation centers safer and more inclusive.
118 culverts and 46 drains reduce flooding impacts.
Over 300 climate-smart water solutions ensure safe water during crises. During Cyclone Remal, 5,322 people in Khulna received clean drinking water from 38 LoGIC systems.
The Bigger Picture: Local Action, Global Relevance
Though modest in scale, these interventions have had an outsized impact. They show how community-driven infrastructure, backed by local governments, can protect lives, reduce losses, and empower people to break free from climate vulnerability.
Visiting these climate-vulnerable communities in 29 upazilas over the past few months, we experienced the resilience, courage, and hope of people like Abdul Hannan and Protima firsthand. Seeing children take shelter safely, women confidently accessing WASH facilities, and families rebuilding livelihoods after floods reminded me that disaster risk reduction is not just about structures—it’s about lives, dignity, and the ability to dream for the future.
On this International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, their voices and experiences underscore why local action matters. A lightning shed or a sturdy guide wall may appear small, but to vulnerable families, they mean survival, stability, and the courage to hope.
A simple structure like a lightning shed or guide wall can mean the difference between loss and survival. Across Bangladesh, community-built infrastructures are turning climate risks into resilience.
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