Natural disasters caused 14m displacements in Bangladesh in 2010-21

Infographic: TBS

Bangladesh recorded 14.12 million displacements between 2010 and 21 as a result of natural disasters, such as floods and storms, placing it as the third highest in disaster displacements in Southeast Asia.

According to a joint report by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) titled "Disaster Displacement in Asia and the Pacific: A Business Case for Investment in Prevention and Solutions", an estimated 225.3 million internal displacements—or movements—were recorded in Asia and the Pacific during 2010−2021.

It said East Asia and Southeast Asia had the highest number of disaster displacements—nearly two-thirds of Asia and the Pacific's total—followed closely by South Asia.

Bangladesh trailed behind India, which recorded the highest of 42 million displacements mostly affected by floods and storms, and Pakistan, with 16.41 million displacements, of which floods alone caused 15.2 million. 

Nepal's total displacements were recorded at 3.4 million, with the Gorkha earthquake in 2015 responsible for 2.6 million displacements. 

Maldives had the least internal displacements, with only 390 during the period.

"Disaster displacement is already eroding the development gains in Asia and the Pacific and threatens the long-term prosperity of the region," said ADB's Chief of Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management Thematic Group Noelle O'Brien. "We need to strengthen policies and action on disaster risk management to ensure the region doesn't regress on its development goals."

IDMC Director Alexandra Bilak said, "Disasters are costing Asia and the Pacific hundreds of billions of dollars. However, the ultimate cost still lies in the millions of lives that are affected by unmitigated disaster displacement every year."

Internal displacements (also referred to as disaster displacements) correspond to the estimated number of forced movements of people within the borders of their country caused by disasters.  

Figures include individuals who have been displaced more than once. Success of pre-emptive movements

Cyclone Amphan in 2020 is one of the most catastrophic events that displaced around five million people in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Myanmar. 

However, the report highlighted that Bangladesh and India successfully limited the loss of life through large-scale pre-emptive evacuations in the lead-up to cyclone Amphan in May 2020. 

The governments preemptively evacuated 3.3 million people from densely populated and low-lying areas.