The World Bank has signalled its interest in helping Bangladesh strengthen climate resilience in its most vulnerable coastal districts, officials said on Tuesday, as the government pursues a $300 million package to guard against future catastrophic flooding.
Bangladesh has recently sought the financial assistance package from the World Bank (WB) to protect six climate-vulnerable coastal districts from catastrophic floods and other natural disasters.
The move follows a devastating spell of coastal flooding that caused widespread damage to lives, property and local economies.
The proposal was formally expedited after the Planning Commission sent a Preliminary Development Project Proposal (PDPP) to the Economic Relations Division (ERD), seeking funding from the World Bank.
Under the newly outlined "Flood Resilient Coastal District Project", the World Bank has already signalled strong commitment and assured Bangladesh of the necessary financial backing to build long-term climate resilience.
"We have already sent the PDPP to the World Bank requesting the fund. We are hopeful of a positive response from the donor," said a senior ERD official.
BWDB engineer Robin Kumar Biswas said the country needs the financial support of the development partner, adding that it would prove highly beneficial if the World Bank came forward.
The proposed project brings together three state agencies to deliver a coordinated infrastructure and livelihood recovery plan across the worst-affected coastal districts.
The Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) will lead the construction and rehabilitation of key rivers and coastal embankments. These structures are designed to hold off future storm surges, prevent tidal flooding and counter aggressive salinity intrusion.
The Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) will take charge of rebuilding damaged transport networks, constructing climate-resilient roads to keep isolated coastal communities connected during emergency evacuations.
The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) will oversee localised agricultural rehabilitation, introducing climate-smart farming techniques, saline-tolerant seed varieties and modern technical support to help smallholder farmers recover from heavy crop losses.
