B3-0856, 0861, 0875, 0885 and 0921/93

The European Parliament,

-having regard to the outcome of the conferences in Dhaka from 17 to 20 May 1993 and in Strasbourg on 27 and 28 May 1993,

-having regard to the outcome of the Re-evaluation Mission of the Dutch Government,

A.whereas the preliminary studies for the Flood Action Plan partly financed by the EC, as well as most EC Member States, are expected to be finalized at the end of this year,

B.whereas, while the studies regarding the ultimate social and environmental effects of the FAP are still under way, pilot schemes have already been initiated, including construction of embankments and sluice gates,

C.whereas, however, the main threats to the Bangladeshi people are cyclonic storm surges affecting the coast of the Bay of Bengal,

D.whereas the lack of adequate infrastructure frequently causes the loss of human lives, such as during the recent monsoon floods in the north-eastern part of Bangladesh,

E.whereas experts consider that the management of the Flood Action Plan does not yet apply the necessary interdisciplinary approach to water management in Bangladesh, which should be based on adequate knowledge of environmental, socioeconomic and technical factors and respect the interests of the different sections of Bangladeshi society,

F.whereas addressing the question of disaster vulnerability ultimately means addressing the issues of unequal land tenure and distribution of resources in Bangladesh,

1.Demands that the highest priority be given to increasing the capacity of Bangladesh to cope with cyclone disasters;

2.Stresses the importance of cyclone preparedness through, inter alia, the construction of storm shelters, coastal afforestation, and improved warning and evacuation procedures;

3.Expresses its sympathy with the injured and the families of those who perished during the recent monsoon floods;

4.Stresses the importance of improved water and land management measures against exceptional river floodings, such as health and sanitary measures, as well as better drainage facilities;

5.Criticizes the fact that the preliminary studies have not sufficiently taken into account the full extent of the harm caused by previous attempts to control floods by constructing embankments and the positive role of annual river flooding for soil enrichment, navigation, groundwater recharge, biodiversity and wetlands, agricultural production and floodplain fisheries;

6.Notes that while construction work will have an enormous impact on the lives of millions of people in Bangladesh, as well as on the environment, the positive effects on agricultural production and coverage of maintenance costs are still unclear;

7.Stresses the urgency of changing the FAP's classification within the World Bank's project scheme from category B to category A, requiring full environmental assessment for projects which appear to have significant adverse effects on the environment;

8.Calls for EC involvement in the FAP after 1995 only on the following conditions:

(a)an adequate institutional framework for the FAP should be guaranteed, in which flexibility, an interdisciplinary approach, improved information and an improved learning capacity are key components,

(b)the full involvement of local communities in project planning, implementation and management, in agreement with the World Bank's own explicit point of view,

(c)a far-reaching interdisciplinary approach, taking effective account of the implications for the environment and for fisheries in addition to economic and technical aspects,

(d)the social and economic rights of any people to be resettled must be fully respected;

9.Notes the need to collect more data on socioeconomic, technical and environmental aspects before decisions on the implementation of major civil works can be taken;

10.Urges that no major physical works in the area of water management be implemented in rural areas in the short run, including the Jamalpur Priority Project (FAP 3.1);

11.Stresses that, for the protection of urban areas, construction could be started only on condition that there is a provision that maintenance will be carried out adequately;

12.Emphasizes the importance of adequately analysing the results of FAP phase I and calls for inclusion of these findings in a coherent and consistent plan of action for the period after 1995;

13.Calls on the EC and the Member States to reconsider their involvement in the FAP in the light of progress in the above-mentioned areas before large-scale works are carried out and urges the Commission to enter into donor coordination on this basis;

14.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, EPC, the Government of Bangladesh, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the UNDP.