Part 1
Bangladesh because of its topography and geographical location, is highly prone to geophysical natural calamities mostly cyclones, flash floods, tornados, thunderstorms etc. A country once used to suffer badly in economic and human losses has now become a disaster resilient country by adopting various initiatives including sector specific investment, policy implementation, international collaboration, deploying monitoring and tracking capabilities etc. In addition to these initiatives Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) presents a transformative approach to enhance disaster response and recovery through tools like digital IDs, mobile payments, and real-time data systems.
Introduction: The history of natural disasters in Bangladesh dates back to 1970 when a deadliest tropical cyclone washed the tropical line of the country, taking a toll of nearly half a million lives. Since then, the country, being located in the low-lying deltaic region in Southeast Asia, has experienced such calamities almost every year, which made it one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world.
The concept of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) is fairly new, which bridges telecommunication/ ICT infrastructure and various digital applications to provide digital citizen services to the people. Due to the rapid advancement of modern digital technologies, DPI plays a significant role in transforming various conventional citizen services into digital citizen services (i.e. online birth registration certificates, land registration, etc.).
During the COVID-19 pandemic, when countries worldwide, irrespective of their development status, faced severe shortages of various resources, including financial, medical, and manpower, the Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) was deemed prosperous by most affected countries. The government of Bangladesh considers it as an effective tool for safeguarding people's basic rights. DPI can be a major tool for efficiently and effectively managing disaster response and recovery efforts. However, to fully unlock DPI's potential, we must address gaps in infrastructure, digital literacy, and data governance.
Background and Evidence: Current State of DPI in Bangladesh: During the past two decades Bangladesh took specific initiative to build its digital ecosystem, which now could be used as platform for DPI-enabled disaster management:
Telecommunication/ICT Infrastructure: Around 99.8% of the country's geographical area is under the coverage of cellular mobile networks. This country also has a more than 150,000-kilometer-long optical fiber network. These infrastructures essentially form the foundation of Bangladesh's DPI.
Digital IDs: Most of the adult population of the country is enrolled in the National ID (NID) system, and it is mandatory to have birth registrations for every newborn. Without these identifications, it is actually quite impossible to obtain any citizen services. These IDs could play a significant role in identifying beneficiaries during disasters.
Mobile Payments: Mobile Financial Service (MFS) is very popular in Bangladesh. Till September 2024, there were around 233 million such accounts, of which 133 million were in rural areas. Natural disasters primarily affect the country's rural areas, so this payment method could be an effective way to distribute financial assistance.
Biometric Verified Subscriber Information Module (SIM) Registration System: Bangladesh has successfully implemented a biometric verified SIM registration system back in 2016. Different government agencies now widely use this system to provide various citizen services, including financial assistance (i.e., pensions, bursaries, etc.) directly to the beneficiary's registered mobile account. Integrated Budget and Accounting System (ibas) has been developed and implemented to provide such services using this platform.
Real-Time Data Systems: Initiatives like the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) and the Cyclone Preparedness Program (CPP) have already been established to provide critical early warnings and information dissemination. Prior to and after the natural disaster, warning SMS are circulated to the people of the affected area.
The Case for DPI in Disaster Response and Recovery: DPI provides transformative advantages during disaster response and recovery activity:
Efficiency: Digital IDs are not only used to identify missing persons and family members after any disaster but also in streamlining beneficiary identification and thus reducing delays in aid distribution.
Inclusivity: Through mobile payments direct financial assistance can be ensured, which in turn can be used to procure necessary amenities without any delay. This system also eliminates the involvement of any intermediaries.
Coordination: Real-time data sharing capabilities among different government systems improve decision-making capability and can reduce all sorts of losses during disasters.
National and global case studies illustrate DPI's potential: Kenya's M-PESA: M-PESA the popular mobile money service in Africa played significant role to provide financial assistance to families who lost their livelihoods during drought.
MFS in Bangladesh: During June 2020, 38.6 million active MFS accounts took financial service riding on the telecom network. Government distributed stimulus package through MFS. Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) helped to validate the identity of the beneficiary. The daily transaction amount increased by 16% during that period, from BDT 1284 crore to BDT 1494 crore per day. The number of daily transactions was also increased by 12%, from 7.6 million to 8.5 million transaction per day. (To be continued)
The writer is an Army Officer
