Reports & Publications

The Flood Emergency Response in Bangladesh (FERB) Baseline Survey was conducted by Trinamul Unnayan Sangstha (TUS) with support from HEKS/EPER Bangladesh to establish the pre-intervention situation of flood-affected communities in Khagrachari Sadar and Dighinala Upazilas. The assessment covered 2,082 households/respondents across 40 paras in Golabari, Komolchari, Merung and Kobakhali. The baseline identified substantial post-flood challenges affecting shelter, WASH and household economic recovery. Overall, 84.29% of respondents reported some level of flood damage, while 41.98% of houses had not yet been repaired or rebuilt. Drinking-water treatment was extremely limited, with 99.81% of households reporting that they did not treat their drinking water. Only 20.65% of households had a designated handwashing facility. Economic impacts were also significant, with 95.63% reporting decreased household income after the flood. At the same time, the assessment found strong potential for community engagement, with 83.57% of respondents willing to participate in WASH and livelihood-related meetings. The findings provide an evidence base for FERB intervention planning, targeting, monitoring and future comparison of project results.

• 2,082 households/respondents were covered across 40 paras in four unions of Khagrachari Sadar and Dighinala. • 84.29% of respondents reported some level of flood damage. • 41.98% of houses were yet to be repaired or rebuilt at the time of the baseline. • 99.81% of households reported that they did not treat their drinking water. • Only 20.65% of households had a designated handwashing facility. • 95.63% of respondents reported decreased household income following the flood. • 83.57% expressed willingness to participate in WASH and/or livelihood meetings. • The findings demonstrate significant interconnected needs related to shelter recovery, safe water, sanitation, hygiene practices and household livelihood recovery. • Needs and recovery conditions varied geographically, indicating the importance of area-specific intervention prioritization.

• Prioritize the most flood-affected and unrecovered households using baseline evidence and vulnerability criteria. • Integrate shelter, WASH and livelihood recovery rather than addressing the identified needs as isolated sectors. • Strengthen access to safe drinking water and promote practical household-level water treatment practices. • Increase access to functional handwashing facilities alongside hygiene-awareness and behavior-change activities. • Support rehabilitation and improvement of sanitation facilities for vulnerable households and communities. • Prioritize livelihood restoration and income-generating support, considering the very high proportion of households reporting reduced income. • Apply area-specific programming because the severity and combination of shelter, WASH and economic recovery needs differ across Golabari, Komolchari, Merung and Kobakhali. • Use the baseline indicators and denominators as the reference point for routine FERB monitoring and subsequent endline/result measurement. • Utilize the high level of community willingness to participate in WASH and livelihood meetings to strengthen community ownership, Water User Groups and sustainability mechanisms. • Ensure future monitoring compares project achievements against the established baseline to demonstrate measurable changes in household and community conditions.