Empowering local communities to withstand floods, cyclones, and lightning through climate-smart, community-built infrastructure
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
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.
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.
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.