Governance and flood: critical reflections on the 1998 deluge

Bangladesh experienced the worst floods of the twentieth century in 1998. The deluge quite starkly brought to the fore the incapacity and unpreparedness of the government to deal with flood and post-flood management issues. Ad hocism, partisanship and more importantly dependence upon donors marked its policies. These had the affect of disempowering and further distressing the affected population. In order to create a sustainable and effective flood management mechanism it is absolutely imperative to come out of the groove of governmentality - both on the part of the government and the governed - and to empower the civil society through degovernmentalizing the structures of governance. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.