At Global events:
The SIDRRA project aims to enhance adaptability and strengthen resilience among at-risk communities in Asia and amplify local voices in decision-making processes. It promotes multi-stakeholder engagement to ensure that adaptation strategies are grounded in the realities of those most affected. By bridging policy and practice, the project helps local knowledge influence regional resilience agendas.
Under the SIDDRA sub-grants scheme, the Institute of Disaster Management and Vulnerability Studies (IDMVS) at the University of Dhaka – a member of Duryog Nivaran – is spearheading a new initiative titled “Co-designing a Community Driven Inclusive and Sustainable Disaster Risk Governance Framework”. This initiative contributes to a wider goal of strengthening localized information systems that is informed by rigorous research.
Project Overview
While disaster risk management (DRM) interventions are prevalent in flood-prone districts like Kurigram, Bangladesh, their long-term efficacy is undermined by a systemic failure to retain project knowledge and processes beyond fixed funding cycles. Because these donor-supported initiatives operate within strict, time-bound parameters, the specialized expertise and operational frameworks they develop are frequently lost upon project completion rather than being integrated into local governance. This lack of continuity prevents the effective institutionalization of DRM actions, forcing successive programs to “reinvent the wheel” and leading to a significant waste of financial and human resources as they repeat efforts rather than building upon past successes.
Rather than focusing on immediate outputs, the research evaluates the long-term retention of critical components. It examines post project retention conditions of selected disaster risk management interventions implemented in Kurigram district to generate empirical evidence on factors influencing sustainability of community disaster preparedness initiatives. It also aims to design a project information
retention system with a functional relationship between Local Government Institutes and community actors. By identifying what drives sustainability and establishing data-informed accountability mechanisms, the project directly supports building community-led, lasting resilience.
Objectives: To develop and pilot a “Retention Tracker” tool that shifts residents from passive aid recipients to active “Data Stewards.”
The study will draw from experiences in the flood- and drought-prone Kurigram district of Bangladesh. IDMVS will engage over 1,000 community members—including women, youth, the elderly, and persons with disabilities—to review more than 10 previous projects to determine what types of information and data should be tracked and made available.
Expected Outcomes
Key outputs of the initiative include:
- A retention analysis framework
- A DRM Project Retention Tracker
- A community-informed set of practical recommendations for more sustainable DRR programming.
Insights gained thus far
Multi-stakeholder consultations with government, NGOs, and civil society organizations generated rich qualitative insights on past DRM interventions, highlighting best practices, challenges, and factors influencing sustainability. This was complemented by a comprehensive desk review of selected DRR and climate adaptation projects.
Building these insights, the project initiated the development of a Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Retention Framework and Tracker tool. This tool aims to assess the long-term sustainability of DRR interventions, incorporating key dimensions such as governance, ownership, financing, fairness, and inclusion. While still under development, it has already integrated preliminary findings from consultations and research. Community Tracker Piloting Groups have also been established to promote local ownership and participatory monitoring.
Emerging findings highlight critical insights, including the importance of integrating DRR initiatives into policy frameworks, strengthening inclusive governance (particularly participation of persons with disabilities), and promoting sustainable livelihood approaches such as asset-based support and skill development.
The findings also highlighted critical service gaps in hard-to-reach remote areas while also documenting proactive local resilience practices. A notable example from Char Ghughumari (Saheber Alga) demonstrated strong community ownership, where heavy rainfall destroyed a key market access road and the local community mobilized to repair it independently, without external assistance.
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