Bangladesh has been considered as one the most vulnerable country in the world in terms of climate change impact. Considering the climatic hazard and economic, physiographic and social vulnerabilities, the Drought prone, Flood prone, Char (sand bar), Coastal and Haor (swamp) areas are the most exposed areas of the country which are recognized as the Hard to Reach (HtR). ASDDW Forum has always special focus and works through different projects in that areas to ensure a resilient water supply and safely managed sanitation system using the appropriate technologies with involving the government and the relevant stakeholders. ASDDW Forum emphasizes on renewed attention which is required to develop the capacity of the society on disaster preparedness and response with involving community, Local Government Institutions (LGIs) in a sustainable approach to mitigate climate change and its impact. The 2016 Monsoon season started on 22 July 2016 and the impact of the monsoon increased over the following weeks. An estimated 3.7 million people across 19 districts of Bangladesh were affected by the monsoon-induced floods. Seven thousand four hundred people sought refuge in 69 flood shelters and education institutions. The official estimates indicated that at least 250,000 houses had been destroyed or damaged. Riverbank erosion resulted in a large number of houses and homesteads getting washed away. 16,770 houses and homesteads were reported completely lost with a further 65,156 partially damaged by erosion.
