Bangladesh needs more than donor aid

The devastation of Cyclone Mora should be a wake-up call for Bangladeshi authorities

Tropical Cyclone Mora, which formed in the Bay of Bengal, hit Bangladesh, Northeast India and western Myanmar with strong winds and heavy rains. Nyunt Win / EPA

Since Cyclone Mora began lashing the coast of Bangladesh, hundreds of thousands of people have been moved to higher areas of the country. But this type of weather has shown its face before to the country. Given its unique geography, Bangladesh is susceptible to annual weather events such as Cyclone Mora. It now requires immediate aid and assistance from the international community. However, Bangladesh has an opportunity to learn from this cyclone and better equip itself for future challenges.

Bangladesh is known for its cheap manufacturing exports and textile industry. Large factories employ hundreds of thousands of Bangladeshis in low-paid manufacturing jobs. While this sector is important to overall economic health, the fact of the matter is that Bangladesh must start the process of diversification. It would have a more vested interest and resources to deploy in the creation of various safety projects to protect against natural disasters if it attracted industries that require more skilled labour or more advanced industrial infrastructure.

The protection of an economic infrastructure all too often takes precedence over the protection of people, sadly. Yet there is a trickle-down effect that results in the better safety provisions for all. If, for example, there were a factory producing iPhones in a Bangladeshi coastal zone, then Apple and its local partner would have an interest in ensuring that there was a coastal drainage system and the necessary ditches to protect the factory in the event of a cyclone. Thus, the development of the Bangladeshi economy will have a positive knock on effect for the safety of the country when natural disasters hit.

This might sounds like a tall task and it will certainly require a reformulation of the economic goals but there are precedents that Dhaka can emulate. Vietnam, for example, used to be in a similar situation as Bangladesh with regards to cheap manufacturing. Through a dedicated push in education and better training programmes, Vietnam is now one of the leading emerging markets in the region. Investment in vital infrastructure is helping to attract new trade agreements and develop the economy further.

During this time of crisis from Cyclone Mora, it is important to bear in mind that Bangladesh has the tools to help prevent such devastation in the future. It must begin to use them.