Photo: Collected

DHAKA, Aug 18, 2026 (BSS) - A total of 12 rescue speedboats, provided with 
assistance from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), to the 
deputy commissioners of 12 disaster-prone coastal districts to further 
strengthen the country's disaster response capacity.

The speedboats were handed over under the Disaster Risk Management 
Enhancement Project (DRMEP), said a press release here today.

The ceremony was held at the Golden Fiberglass Conference Room in 
Narayanganj, where Disaster Management and Relief Minister Asadul Habib Dulu, 
MP, State Minister M Iqbal Hossain, MP, lawmaker Abul Kalam, Disaster 
Management and Relief Secretary Mohammad Saiful Islam, Japanese Ambassador to 
Bangladesh Saida Shinichi and Director General (DG) of the Department of 
Disaster Management Rezwanur Rahman, among others, were present. 

The rescue speedboats will be used for disaster response in Barishal, 
Bagerhat, Satkhira, Bhola, Pirojpur, Patuakhali, Cox's Bazar, Khulna, 
Barguna, Jhalokathi, Chattogram and Noakhali districts.

The boats will be used for emergency communication, search and rescue 
operations and disaster response during floods, cyclones, tidal surges and 
other natural disasters.

JICA Bangladesh Office Chief Representative Takahashi Junko said the rescue 
boats provided with JICA assistance played an effective role in emergency 
rescue operations during the flash floods in Chattogram and Cox's Bazar last 
July.

She said the new boats would further enhance the capacity for rapid response 
during disasters and help ensure the safety of vulnerable communities.

As part of ongoing cooperation in disaster response under the project, there 
are plans to distribute 43 more shallow-water rescue speedboats in flood-
prone districts and upazilas in the northern and north-eastern regions of the 
country.

The areas include Sunamganj, Habiganj, Sylhet, Netrakona and Jamalpur, among 
other flood-prone areas.

The initiative has been taken to further strengthen emergency rescue and 
disaster response capacity in view of floods in recent years and the growing 
disaster risks caused by climate change.