BD needs single disaster warning platform: Experts
Bangladesh’s disaster warning system needs a single, coordinated digital platform to prevent mixed messages, delayed alerts and confusion among communities during floods, cyclones, heatwaves and other climate-induced emergencies, experts and disaster management stakeholders said on Thursday.
Speaking at a roundtable in Dhaka, they said Bangladesh has made major progress in disaster preparedness and early response, but warning dissemination still remains scattered across different agencies and communication channels.
As a result, people in vulnerable areas may receive alerts late, inconsistently, or from multiple sources with different wording.
The discussion was held on the proposed Integrated Dissemination Platform, jointly organised by Save the Children and the Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System, with support from the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations.
Participants said the platform could work as a common system connecting authorised warning providers, government agencies, telecom operators, media, local authorities and community-level alert networks.
The proposed system is expected to support faster and more consistent alerts for disasters such as river floods, flash floods, cyclones, landslides, storm surges and heatwaves.
A key part of the discussion was the Common Alerting Protocol, an international digital standard used to prepare and share emergency alerts in a structured format.
RIMES presented how the protocol can convert authorised hazard information into unified messages and send them through different channels, including SMS, voice calls, mobile applications, social media, sirens and other local warning tools.
Stakeholders said such a system could reduce the risk of misinformation during emergencies, particularly when people depend on different sources for updates.
Nitai Chandra Dey Sarkar, director at the Department of Disaster Management, said communities often become confused when warnings come from multiple sources without proper coordination. He said an integrated mechanism would help people receive clearer and more reliable alerts, reducing possible damage and loss.
Md Manzur Rahman, executive engineer at the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre under the Bangladesh Water Development Board, said coordinated warning dissemination could help close communication gaps during disasters.
Director General of the Department of Disaster Management Razwanur Rahman said the proposed platform would strengthen and modernise Bangladesh’s existing disaster warning structure. He said it could support the country’s progress toward the global goal of ensuring early warning for all.
Representatives from the Department of Disaster Management, Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre, Department of Agricultural Extension, international NGOs and telecom operators, including Grameenphone, took part in the roundtable.
Speakers said Bangladesh already has experience in cyclone preparedness, flood forecasting, impact-based warning and anticipatory action. However, they noted that different agencies still operate their own dissemination systems, which can create overlapping messages and delay the delivery of urgent information to people at risk.
They stressed that the next phase of disaster preparedness should focus not only on generating forecasts, but also on ensuring that the right warning reaches the right people through the right channel at the right time.
The proposed Integrated Dissemination Platform, they said, could become a bridge between scientific warning agencies and communities on the ground, helping authorities issue faster, clearer and more trusted disaster alerts across the country.
