BANGLADESH

Bangladesh is the sixth among countries that are most vulnerable to natural disasters including typhoons, earthquake and tsunamis, a new report says.

Among the Asian countries, Bangladesh ranked second, after the Philippines in the World Risk Index 2011, jointly conducted by United Nations University (UNU), Germany and the Institute of Environment and Human Security.

In the recently published 2011 Global Assessment Report by the UNDP, Bangladesh was found to be one of the most vulnerable countries to disasters.

The report assessed 173 countries based on their exposure, susceptibility, coping capacities and adaptive capacities to disasters.

Based on appropriate indicators in the components, Bangladesh gained 27.52 percent, 44.96 percent, 86.49 percent and 58.77 percent respectively, the UNU website says.

Relating to the risk index, Bangladesh's overall points were 17.45.

Qatar has been ranked the least vulnerable country with only 0.02 point in the index while Vanuatu, an archipelago state in the South Pacific Ocean, has been ranked number one in the report with 32 points.

The Philippines has been ranked first in Asia while third in the world disaster-affected countries, the report adds.

The other countries that placed higher on the index are from Asia and Latin America.

It notes that state failure is a major risk factor. "Whether natural events turn into disasters depends critically on the coping and adaptive capacity of governments," the report says.

"States with strong institutions have fewer deaths after extreme natural events than those with weak or inexistent institutions," it says.

The index has been drawn up considering the following issues:

- How likely is an extreme natural event and will it affect people?

- How vulnerable are people to natural hazards?

- To what extent are societies able to cope with severe and immediate disasters?

- Does society take precautionary measures against anticipated future natural hazards?