The Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) Bangladesh team under ICLEI South Asia conducted a three-day field visit to Nilphamari Municipality from 15-17 April 2025 to develop a Climate-Induced Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Action Plan.. The visit focused on identifying climate-related hazards and vulnerabilities across the municipality’s nine wards.
The team engaged with various community members including local business owners, youth, farmers, housewives, service professionals, municipal officials, and representatives from NGOs such as the Association for Social Advancement (ASA). Through these interactions, they gathered firsthand information on past and new hazard events and their impacts on nine wards across the municipality.
Key areas of focus included understanding the impacts of these hazards on the community, mapping vulnerable areas, and assessing the risk levels in different parts of the municipality. Five Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were conducted in various wards to gain deeper, more profound insights into the issues faced by the residents.
Initial findings pointed to several potential hazards in Nilphamari, including waterlogging, flooding, erosion, thunderstorms, and temperature extremes. These have had significant impacts on the community, such as frequent flooding after rainfall, crop damage, and disruption of the natural drainage system. Two high-risk zones were the Khatamari Canal, which is prone to erosion, and the Singimari Bill, a natural water reservoir outside the municipality that causes post-rainfall flooding during the monsoon season.
The most waterlogged areas include Machua Para (Ward 5), Sowdagarpara (Ward 7), Sabuz Para (Ward 1), Aliamadrasha Roadside (Ward 2), and Old Station Road (Ward 7). In addition, extreme temperatures during the summer and winter have increased the vulnerability of residents throughout the municipality.
The DRR Action Plan will incorporate the outcomes from the field visit with strategies for addressing the municipality’s hazards, improving resilience, and mitigating future disaster risks.