Date of Submission 29.03.2012 IPL Project Proposal Form 2012 (MAXIMUM: 3 PAGES IN LENGTH) 1. Project Title: (2 lines maximum)-introducing Community-based Early Warning System for Landslide Hazard Management in Cox's Bazaar Municipality, Bangladesh 2. Main Project Fields Select the suitable topics. If no suitable one, you may add new field. (1) Technology Development A. Monitoring and Early Warning, B. Hazard Mapping, Vulnerability and Risk Assessment (2) Targeted Landslides: Mechanisms and Impacts A. Catastrophic Landslides, B. Landslides Threatening Heritage Sites C. Landslide hazard risk management in urban areas (3) Capacity Building A. Enhancing Human and Institutional Capacities B. Collating and Disseminating Information/ Knowledge (4) Mitigation, Preparedness and Recovery A. Preparedness, B. Mitigation, C. Recovery 3. Name of Project leader; N.M.S.I. Arambepola Affiliation: (office and position) Deputy Executive Director Asian Disaster Preparedness Center(ADPC) SM Tower 24th Floor, 979/69 Paholyothin Road, Samsen Nai, Phayathai, Bangkok 10400 THAILAND Contact: (postal address, fax, phone, email) Phone: +66 (0)22980681 to 92 (Ext 500) Fax: +66 (0)22980012 to13 Mobile: +66(0) 818403144 E-mail: arambepola@adpc.net Core members of the Project: 1.Dr.Senaka Basnayake Names/Affiliations: (4 individuals maximum) 1.Dr.Udeni Nawagomuwa 2. Mr.R.M.S.Bandara 3.Mr.Md.Anisur Rahman 3. Objectives: (5 lines maximum; what you expect to accomplish?) - facilitate the preparation of landslide inventory and landslide hazard zonation maps for the city, - development of precipitation thresholds,
- establishment of community level early warning system, - create community awareness on landslide preparedness and mitigation measures 4. Background Justification: (10 lines maximum) In recent years many landslide events have been experienced in hilly districts of Bangladesh such as Chittagong, Cox Bazaar, and Tecknaf. It shows that a significant landslide hazard exists for such urban centers and many communities are vulnerable to this newly known type of hazard in Bangladesh, which may result in severe damages and severe socio-economic consequences in future in many other areas too. This Project initiative aims at developing a city level landslide hazard risk management strategy so that other vulnerable cities will be able to replicate it as a good practice for reducing the future losses due to landslide events the project approach will be to establish community-based initiatives combining science and practice in an effective way. The approach includes hazard mapping for identifying most vulnerable communities and developing EW system for landslides so that they will be able to prepare better. 5. Study Area: (2 lines maximum; where will the project be conducted/applied?) The Municipality of Cox's Bazaar covers an area of 21 sq km. It is located between 21 0 24 and 21 0 36 north latitudes and between 91 0 59 and 92 0 08 east longitudes. It is bounded by Chittagong district on the north, Bay of Bengal on the south, Bandarban district, Arakan (Myanmar) and the Naf River on the east, the Bay of Bengal on the west. According to the population census 2001, the total population of Cox s Bazaar Municipality is 51918. 6. Project Duration: (1 line maximum):18 months(july 2011 to December 2012) 7. Resources necessary for the Project and their mobilization Personnel, Facilities, and Budgets The project is funded by the Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme of the Government of Bangladesh which is funded by UNDP, EU, Government of Norway and few other donors. Project value is around 70,000USD and personal involved in the project are staff of ADPC and DATAEX-Bangladesh. 8. Project Description: (30 lines maximum) Hilly areas of Bangladesh had witnessed devastating landslide events in the recent past and similar devastating events associated with landslides were not known in the past. There is a potential for such landslide and mass movements to spread over a larger area within hill districts unless risk associated with landslides are not taken seriously by the authorities. The use of early warning systems for natural hazards such as floods and typhoons has advanced fairly rapidly over the recent past. The successful use of such systems has helped save the lives of the people residing in the affected area. One of the other project tasks is to define the precipitation thresholds for landslide trigger, which will enable communities for continuous vigilance and monitoring of slopes in an event of
reaching the limits. This will subsequently serve as a decision support tool for community action. Since communities at risk need to take speedy actions as soon as they see the symptoms of landslide trigger or in an event of reaching the precipitation threshold limits. The project also aims at capacity building of landslide professionals and DRR practitioners working in mandated institutions who need continuous capacity enhancement, exposure, guidance and technical support to intensify landslide risk management interventions in Bangladesh. Most developing countries in Asia, consider implementation of structural interventions for stabilization of potentially unstable slopes, as a difficult and a costly measure which cannot be implemented widely. Bangladesh as a developing country obviously find it difficult to invest in costly slope stabilization measures in particular in an around vulnerable slopes located near human settlements. In the past, many of the communities suffered heavily due to landslide incidents found to be among the poorest. However they continue to live near such vulnerable slopes due to lack of awareness as well as due to the limitations and affordability to move in to safer areas. As an alternative measure early warning becomes an acceptable solution which is more cost effective, practical and widely implementable as a risk reduction measure. More importantly it can be effectively used in areas where the degree of susceptibility and hazard can be delineated in advance through mapping and hazard assessment interventions. The project expects to model the slopes in Cox s Bazaar municipal area susceptible to potential slope failures triggered by heavy rainfall and to introduce community-based early warning system as a pilot basis initiative in Bangladesh for managing landslide hazard. Another long term development objective of the project is to use the project experience as a model for landslide disaster risk reduction in urban areas of Bangladesh and assist stakeholder institutions to formulate a long term landslide hazard mitigation strategy for Bangladesh. The other stakeholder institutions such as local government authorities, armed forces, first responder agencies, non-governmental organizations and the private sector also will be invited to participate in the project activities and to obtain their support for landslide risk reduction activities through creating more awareness on the process and operational aspects of landslide risk reduction including landslide monitoring and early warning. 9. Work Plan/Expected Results: (20 lines maximum; work phases and milestones) Result Activities Duration Milestones/deliverables Historical landslide events studied and landslide inventory prepared for the Literature survey Obtaining historical data from reports prepared by other institutions 05 months Landslide inventory for past landslide events prepared.
Cox Bazar municipality area Landslide hazard risk potential assessed Precipitation threshold determined Community based landslide EWS established City level experience sharing workshop Field mapping Community level discussions Development of the base maps Development of the rating system using the information from Inventory mapping and expert knowledge Development of the factor maps(land use, slope category, geology, overburden deposits) Development of landslide attribute maps Development of the landslide hazard zonation maps Collection of rainfall data corresponding the 07 days preceding the events Data analysis Development of precipitation thresholds for the area Community level HVCA assessment Community level training and capacity building Establishment of rain gauge stations in identified locations Training on data collection Community level simulations Community level SOPs Organization of city level experience sharing workshop Field visits to landslide prone areas Documentation of case study 12 months Landslide hazard zonation map for the municipality 12 months Precipitation threshold for landslide trigger 14 months Community based landslide EWS demonstrations 18 months Proceedings of the city level experience sharing workshop Case study 10. Deliverables/Time Frame: (10 lines maximum; what and when will you produce?) Inception report- end of 1 month Prepare Landslide inventory map-end of 05 month
Prepare topographic and existing land use map 0end of 7 months Prepare Digital Elevation Model (DEM) and slope map- end of 09 months Prepare engineering geological map- end of 11 months Precipitation threshold - end of 12 months Prepare potential landslide hazard zonation- end of 12 months Establishment of early warning mechanisms within the identified high risk area-end of 14 months City level experience sharing workshop- end of 16 months Report of landslide risk reduction strategy- end of 18 months 11. Project Beneficiaries: (5 lines maximum; that directly benefits from the work?) The direct beneficiaries of the project are Local government authority (Cox s Bazaar municipality) and the communities living in landslide prone areas in Cox s Bazaar municipality. Other direct beneficiaries are the Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme and Disaster Management Bureau, focal point for disaster management activities 12. References (Optional): (6 lines maximum; i.e. relevant publications) Note: Please fill and submit this form by 30 March 2012 to ICL network <ICL-network@iclhq.org>