Research on indigenous knowledge of disaster management still remains an overlooked agenda, write Mohammad Tareq Hasan and
Mohammed Abdul Baten

‘LIVING with disasters’ is a cruel reality for the people in Bangladesh. In spite of very little or no contribution to the global climate change, they are the worst victims and experiencing disproportionate share of its impact in the form of different natural disasters. The intensity and frequency of climate change-induced disasters such as cyclones, floods, tidal surges, etc have increased manifold in recent years. Of the natural disasters, cyclones associated with storm surge appear to be the most devastating, especially in the coastal areas. Super cyclones like Sidr (2007) and Aila (2008) are increasingly becoming recurrent events in this region. Bangladesh, facing the adverse impact of frequent cyclones, should increase its adaptive capacity to the disasters to achieve the Millennium Development Goals within the stipulated time. There is an overwhelming need for increasing the capacity of local people and, therefore, incorporating local people and their knowledge in all stages of policy formulation and implementation for successful adaptation to climate change.
   Indigenous communities, living in the coastal areas for centuries with unique cultural identity, are an indispensable part of nature. Rakhains, the only indigenous community with a considerable number, have been living in the coastal belt for centuries. They have developed their own perception and prediction strategies for cyclones, and effective survival strategies. These inherited, time-tested experiences of generations have been internalised through a process of socialisation. Originated within communities, based on local needs and specific to the local culture and context, this knowledge capital has helped in building the community resilience and enhancing their coping mechanisms to natural disasters (cyclones). We conducted a study at Kuakata in the southern coast in November 2008 to explore Rakhains’ coping strategies in the face of strong cyclones.
   Disaster management involves preparing for disasters before it occurs, disaster response as well as supporting and rebuilding society. The study found that Rakhains have their own adaptive strategies for pre, during, and post disaster periods of cyclones. The evidences of their community-level preparedness include the structural adjustment to reduce cyclone damage (planting tree around homesteads), specific forms of housing pattern, prediction of cyclones using the state and level of the seawater, wind direction, weather, behaviour of some living organisms, etc.
   While conducting the research, it was found that certain indigenous perception and prediction strategy, possessed by the Rakhains, always helped them to anticipate and take necessary precautions. It is, therefore, imperative to understand these special forms of knowledge. They use several terminologies to classify the intensity of cyclone. For example, cyclones with low intensity and high intensity are called leingri and laeingshi respectively.
   The Rakhains were found to use several indicators to anticipate and predict a cyclone: wind direction, heat of the wind, weather condition, behaviour of certain fish in the sea, sound of the sea and absence of the sound of lightening, colour and shape of cloud, behaviour of insects, bitter taste of rainwater, amount of water in the rivers and sea, colour and temperature of water, amount of fish found in rivers and sea, etc.
   Wind direction and speed is a major indicator for the cyclone prediction to Rakhains. Generally, in broad sense, there are four directions: south (tong), east (acche), north (mrao), and west (anao). People regardless of age and sex know that wind blowing from east (acche li thare) has the most chance of creating a cyclone. And, if the wind turns to southeast (acche tong da-ong) then there will be a tidal surge. Wind blowing from north (mrao) and northeast (mrao acche da-ong) can also create a cyclone, but the intensity will be lesser. Moreover, rise of seawater temperature and rainbow coloured cloud indicate formation of a deep depression in the sea. Whereas abnormal behaviour (jumping in the sea) of certain fish (locally called cheowa) is perceived as a symptom of rapid storm approach.
   Given their extreme vulnerability the Rakhains living in the coastal areas have developed some short-term as well as long-term adaptive strategies to cyclones. Short-term, during or just after disaster, adaptive strategies involve dismantling the floor of their houses and opening the windows during cyclones, so that, wind and water can pass through without obstruction, thus the main structures of the house remain stable. Holding on to, and binding the houses to trees or logs, looking for more dependable places like embankments, using floating items such as timbers, roofs of thatched houses, bunches of coconuts are also some good examples of adaptation technique.
   During cyclone Sidr most of the affected Rakhains survived by eating and chewing branches of banana trees and other edible plants before relief materials arrived from outside. For drinking water, the survivors collected freshwater by digging holes in the sandy beach of Kuakata. With regard to minor ailments such as fever and diarrhoea, the Rakhains use herbs and other local substances.
   On the other hand, long-term structural adjustment includes building eco-friendly houses, built upon a higher structure; these give them a better opportunity to survive during tidal surges. The practice of planting trees around their households also saves their house from strong wind and storm surge.
   In line with the reality, considering the periodic disasters affecting the Bay of Bengal coast, there is an urgent need for an effective disaster management plan to minimise the loss of lives and property. Thus, the traditional knowledge of the Rakhains may have some applicability in other disaster prone areas. In recent times, when community-based preparedness and adaptation is considered to be the most effective strategy to face the impacts of climate change, such local level indigenous knowledge must be acknowledged and documented. However, it is a matter of regret that research on ‘indigenous knowledge of disaster management’ still remains an overlooked agenda.
   Unfortunately, the existing work on disasters mostly concentrate on ‘cause and effect of disaster and its management’ carried out by the government and nongovernmental organisations. Even though UNCDD and UNESCO acknowledge the role of indigenous knowledge in combating desertification, deforestation and is trying to develop a bunch of protocols to encourage utilisation of entirely indigenous techniques in the 800 world heritage sites, there is no plan for recording, protecting, restoring and re-applying these techniques in our country context.
   In spite of some pessimistic scenarios, it is fascinating that indigenous people and their valuable knowledge have been given due importance in the proposed carbon reduction mechanism, REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation), which is going to be approved at the Copenhagen climate summit. If approved, REDD would undoubtedly be an opportunity for Bangladesh, as a land of different indigenous communities with their valuable knowledge and overwhelming dependency on the forest. The Rakhains may get incentives to conserve their ‘household forests’ (which is grown surrounding the Rakhain homesteads), which they generally used as a natural barrier to cyclones. Therefore, both the objectives of carbon reduction and disaster management will be served simultaneously in a cost effective way, which can be replicated in other areas for building a disaster resilience community.
   Mohammad Tareq Hasan and Mohammed Abdul Baten are researchers at Unnayan Onneshan, an independent policy think-tank based in Bangladesh