Mid-term Evaluation of 2014 Floods Appeal Operation, IFRC (Bangladesh)

Bangladesh is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world and extremely vulnerable to climate change because of its geophysical settings. The country is low-laying and flat with huge inland water bodies, including some of the biggest rivers in the world. Flooding is an annual recurring event during the monsoon season, when 80% of the annual amount of rain falls. Apart from floods, Bangladesh grapples with strong tropical storms and cyclones in the southern coastal belt, as well as droughts and earthquakes.

Last year’s flood scenario in Bangladesh, which affected 2.8 million people, has been referred to as the worst flooding event since the so called ‘mega floods’ in 2007. The disaster was caused by heavy rains in the main river basins and upstream catchment areas of India along with continuous rainfall in the north-western and north-eastern parts of the country.

Whereas initial assessments reported food, sanitation and livelihoods to be among the most imminent needs, the circumstances changed soon after the recession of the waters: Until today, people are struggling to repair their damaged houses, food stocks and livelihoods have been damaged or lost, while the vulnerability of the affected communities is increased through the deficient water and sanitation situation.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS) have designed a comprehensive operational plan, combining relief and early recovery components. For this purpose, an emergency appeal was launched on a preliminary basis over 2.206.628 CHF to support 19.470 flood-affected families (97.350 people) over 12 months.

This Mid-Term Evaluation served to evaluate the on-going IFRC Floods 2014 Emergency Appeal Operation in the districts of Bogra and Sirajganj. It assessed components of project assessment, planning, management and coordination as well as progress and achievements, while detecting obstacles, constraints and challenges of the operation. Finally, practical recommendations for the remaining implementation period and future operations appropriate to the Bangladesh context have been provided.