The geographical location of Bangladesh in the Bay of Bengal leaves the country susceptible to significant climate change impacts that exacerbate environmental hazards. In the urban context, disasters and hazards are posed by flood and waterlogging, earthquakes and fires. The residents of informal settlements, or slums, can be understood as most at risk due to the existing social, physical and economic vulnerabilities inherent to their environment. Increasing exposure to disaster hazards in Dhaka heightens the need for positive developments in urban Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR). The rapidly expanding rate of the city’s slums as a result of both growing population and rural-urban migration, means resources are increasingly strained, and hence lives and livelihoods are ever more vulnerable to the risks posed by urban hazards.

The research presented in this report examines the urban DRR landscape of Dhaka. It builds on the Urban DRR Assessment Framework Report, a study which assessed the resilience of WV Bangladesh’s project sites in Dhaka. This report identifies the hazards faced by slum residents in Dhaka, in the context of their particular political and social economy. Further, it examines initiatives established by the government, academic and NGO community to address DRR. In assessing these two elements, results highlight not only the DRR methods currently being implemented, but, more critically, where gaps exist.