Multi-Hazard Risk Governance framework and implementation challenges in Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna (GBM) Delta communities – linking science, policy and decision makers

The Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers form in the Himalaya and its catchment is shared among five countries and ultimately deposits the freshwater and sediments in the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna (GBM) delta shared between Bangladesh and India. The delta is strongly influenced by neighbouring countries’ water and sediment management decisions in addition to environmental, climatic and internal management. The coastal population is exposed to climate hazards, including fluvio-tidal floods, tropical cyclones accompanied by storm surges, river-bank erosion, saline water intrusion and arsenic contamination of shallow aquifers. It is also evident that, low income countries prioritize developmental activities for economic development. Hence, disaster prevention and control are not well integrated into socioeconomic activities, which increases exposures and even new disaster risks.

The concept of risk governance includes institutional and policy process to guide/monitor collective activities of a group or community to regulate, reduce or control risk problems. The multi-hazard risk assessment of Ganges Brahmaputra Meghna delta communities depicts the complexities in implementation of risk governance in developing country context. Risk governance has  also been emphasized in the global agreements like Sustainable Development Goals and Sendai Framework of Disaster Risk Reduction. SFDRR priority 2, states the strengthening of disaster risk governance to manage disaster risks with global targets of reducing economic loss, enhancing international cooperation and substantial increase in availability and access to disaster risk information fostering partnerships and collaboration.

Present study analyses the risk governance frameworks in the multi-hazard parlance to understand the effectiveness of policies and plan for the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna (GBM) river delta communities. The qualitative research also reflects that experiences of developing countries on institutional parallelism and implementation challenges. The relationship between state and sub‑national governments has also been examined in the context of local governance systems (both formal and informal).