Some 90,000 families in the flood-prone districts would receive specially designed elevated houses to prevent future suffering from inundation.
Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) would fund the project costing around US$ 13 million to be implemented in five flood affected districts, sources said.
A number of non-government organisations under the direct supervision of PKSF will implement the project.
The recent flood damaged thousands of houses washing away standing crops including jute, rice paddy, vegetables, aman rice seedbeds and fish enclosures in many flood prone districts of the country.
The project will be completed by December 31 in 2024, PKSF, a financial institution founded by the government to finance rural development.
According to the sources, funded by the Green Climate Fund, PKSF is going to implement the new project titled ‘Extended Community Climate Change Project-Flood’ (ECCCP-Flood).
The PKSF has already started its initial work and the field level works will begin within October.
In the first phase, the organization has selected 90,000 families whose houses were submerged due to flood in the most badly affected five districts including Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Gaibandha, Nilphamari and Jamalpur.
These families will get elevated houses built on raised piece of land called plinth where each family would be able to keep small goat and cow sheds to keep the animals in safety and also have small piece of land for vegetable gardening to help themselves with food during the flood period. Each such raised piece of land would also have tube-well for safe drinking water.
PKSF Director (Environment and Climate Change) Dr Fazle Rabbi Sadek Ahmed said, “The project will be implemented in four years, which will help flood affected people of Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Gaibandha, Nilphamari and Jamalpur districts. About 90,000 families will be directly and more than one lakh families will be indirectly benefitted through this project.”
“The districts were selected based on the number of flood affected people, poverty, living standard and employment opportunity. The project will be extended on condition of getting fund,” he added.
About the flood affected region, Fatima Yasmin, Economic Relations Division (ERD) Secretary said, “The government is committed to free the country from poverty by 2041. However, the main challenge is the shock due to climate change. Every year, around 26,ooo square kilometer areas in the country is submerged due to flood. The new project is very timely initiative. The government has given special priority to face crisis that appear due to climate change.”
Mohammad Moinuddin Abdullah, Managing Director of PKSF said, “The new project, which is being implemented with the funding of the Green Climate Fund (GCF), will help increase the capacity of the targeted people. Bangladesh is at the top of the list of countries affected by climate change.”
Asked about the flood-hit areas, Mohammad Rezaul Karim, Kurigram Deputy Commissioner said, "Geographically, Kurigram is a flood-prone district. Houses in the rural areas, especially surrounding the river embankments, are usually submerged in the flood every year. When the flood waters start receding again, the river erosion starts causing further damages.”
He also said, “There are different types of assistance for the people of these districts through various government projects. There is also a project to build houses. Apart from this, if PKSF implements such projects, then the common man will be benefitted.”