DHAKA, Oct 24, 2025 (BSS) – Selected pourashavas in the country’s coastal areas have witnessed increased climate and disaster resilience benefiting the poor and women through improved climate-resilient municipal infrastructures, strengthened institutional capacity, governance, awareness and project management.

These outcomes were the results of the completed “The Coastal Towns Environmental Infrastructure Project (CTEIP)” funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

The impact of the project which ended on July, 2024 was improved well-beings in coastal towns. The project contributed to reducing the incidence of waterborne diseases by 76.7% (baseline 50.0% in 2011), and diarrhea patient admissions to the district hospitals had been reduced to 2.1% by June 2022 (baseline 9.0% in 2011).

The project created new employment opportunities by building climate-resilient infrastructures that increased working hours by reducing inundation and sick days and minimizing asset loss. As a result, average households’ incomes had increased by 30.9% (Taka 20,685 per month) against the 2013 target of 15.0% (Taka 15,800 per month).

Out of the total project cost of $103.39 million, the development partners provided $85.91 million [ADB Special Fund: $44.96 million; The Gates Foundation: $1.45 million; The Strategic Climate Fund: $26.58 million loan, and a $8.91million grant; The UCCRTF: $5.48 million] while the government of Bangladesh provided the rest of $16.01 million.

While visiting the project sites at Patuakhali Pourashava along with ADB Country Director Hoe Yun Jeong, it was found that following the successful implementation of the CTEIP project, the Patuakhali Pourashava has been transformed into a climate-resilient town through support from the ADB since it was a climate-vulnerable town with flooding, cyclones, and heat waves were as recurrent climate events.

Marking the visit of the ADB Country Director to Patuakhali, the Pourashava hosted an event with its Administrator and Deputy Secretary Jowel Rana presiding over it. Additional Chief Engineer of LGED, Barishal Division, Shekh Mohammad Nurul Islam, Senior Project Officer of ADB SA Abdullah Al Mamun and Project Director of CTCRP Md Mokhleasur Rahman spoke as special guests.

Speaking at the event, the ADB Country Director said since Patuakhali is very much vulnerable to climate events, the goal of the Manila-based lending agency here was to convert Patuakhali as a ‘climate resilient hub’.

Based on such interventions, Hoe Yun Jeong said, “We would like to turn it as a model pourashava and thus other pourashavas to replicate it with ADB interventions.”     

Talking to BSS, green coconut vendor Mintu and his wife Laizu while selling green coconuts beside the renovated walkways under the project, expressed that their daily income has increased manifold as they now can sell coconut more.

They can even make an income of Taka 10,000 per day with the influx of visitors’ everyday to spend their time especially in the afternoon.

The project constructed a 33.33 km road and 12.25 km of drains under Patuakhali Pourashava. All the infrastructures followed climate-resilient design and construction.

Roads have been constructed there with alternative construction materials, e.g, uniblock, made from river-bed sand, which is environmentally friendly and easy to maintain. It saves pollution from brick making. Roads have been constructed above the flood level and designed with a 50-year perspective.

There are separate lanes for cycling and walking. While visiting different sites at the pourashava, it was found that climate-resilient roads and pedestrian infrastructures are improving connectivity and mobility, supporting economic uplift, and enabling improved access to services for all, including women and people with special needs.

Besides, the project prepared a drainage system master plan for the Patuakhali Pourashava, which also approved it. A total of 12.25 km of drains has been constructed. The municipality is now expanding and maintaining the drainage network with its own funds. The improved drainage system helps reduce water-logging and flooding, improved public health, and enhanced urban sanitation and cleanliness, resulting in a better quality of life for residents, especially in vulnerable communities.

Apart from these, the excavated canals and ponds help retain water all year round, reducing the locality's temperature. They also accommodate additional water during flooding, contributing to flood control.

The project also helped the Patuakhali municipality to enhance its capacity. As a result, the municipality’s revenue collection capacity improved, raising the collection rate to 95% (against target). The enhanced revenue is enabling the municipality to maintain the infrastructures regularly.

The CTEIP strengthened climate resilience and disaster preparedness in eight vulnerable coastal pourashavas (secondary towns) of Bangladesh. The project took a holistic and integrated approach to urban development.

It provided climate-resilient municipal infrastructures; and strengthened institutional capacity, local governance, and public awareness for improved urban planning and service delivery considering climate change and disaster risks. The project constructed and improved drainage; water supply system; sanitation; cyclone shelters; and other municipal infrastructure. It also improved emergency access roads and bridges, solid waste management, bus terminals, slum improvements, boat landings, and markets.

The executing agency was Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) under the Local Government Division, and 10 municipalities were implementing agencies. The project’s innovative design focused on performance-based allocation and sequential implementation in batches and stages.  It combined technological and community-centric vulnerability approaches to mainstream climate change adaptation.

The CTEIP was formulated in response to a request by the government of Bangladesh to meet the high demand for climate-resilient infrastructures and disaster preparedness and to strengthen the institutional capacity of 10 coastal pourashavas, mainly secondary towns with a population of 15,000 to 60,000. Coastal pourashavas are particularly vulnerable to climate-related disasters.

Recognizing the vulnerability of the urban poor, there was an acute need for multipurpose cyclone shelters with access roads. Limited access to safe water, high salinity, unsustainable groundwater extraction, and inadequate sanitation facilities were assessed as challenges. Coastal pourashavas were linked to poor governance and low adaptive capacity, as many pourashavas lacked established mechanisms for public participation and faced constraints in municipal budget allocation.

This resulted in low tax collection efficiency and outdated financial management practices, including limited computerized accounts and billing systems. Consequently, most pourashavas grapple with low revenue and a lack of funds.