Climate-resilient homes in Bangladesh aim to put communities first

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Low-lying Bangladesh is particularly vulnerable to worsening climate change-fuelled threats - from floods to cyclones - and the homes of ordinary citizens regularly get damaged or destroyed when disasters strike.

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The challenge for Bangladesh is that different areas are vulnerable to different climate threats, meaning there is no one-size-fits-all approach to housing adaptation, said Shuchita Sharmin, a professor of development studies at Dhaka University.

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Indigenous wooden houses built in Munshiganj can last for up to 80 years, as they are built on raised platforms to keep them above floodwaters, and when river erosion becomes an issue, the homes can be packed up and reassembled somewhere safer inland.

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Yet there are still concerns over the safety of traditional houses - few use fire-resistant paint - and their impact on deforestation as Bangladesh does not have a system for tracing and certifying the origins of timber, according to Rahman.

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