Disaster management in Bangladesh: regulatory and social work perspectives

Bangladesh is a small poor country with a huge population. Unfortunately this poor country is probably the most disaster prone in the world. Rapid growth in population and a slow rate of growth of the economy have forced a substantial part of the ever-increasing population to settle in areas too risky for human habituation, such as in newly emerging chars. Thus a large number of new settlements in coastal areas, in char lands and old settlements situated near fluctuating rivers are all in constant threat of being removed away by the disasters such as cyclones, tidal surges and river bank erosion. Almost every year natural disasters occur in Bangladesh and have created a vulnerable situation for our community people. It is well known to all that nature is beyond the control of human beings. But the massive loss caused by disasters can be minimized by proper disaster management. For this reason, disaster management has become recognized as a discipline in the world. This paper discusses the theoretical aspects, stages, and approaches of disaster management, especially the regulatory framework and social work perspectives to disaster management in Bangladesh.