Frequent floods in Bangladesh – fluvial; pluvial; coastal; as well as flash floods – have had a significant impact on lives and livelihoods. Bangladesh is a deltaic country consisting of floodplains created by over 400 rivers and channels. Twenty five percent of the country is less than 1 meter above sea level; and 50 percent is less than 6 meters above sea level. It is located at the foot of the Himalayan Mountain range; which is the world’s highest precipitation zone. During the monsoon season; winds from the sea heading towards land raise the water levels in the Bay of Bengal; inhibiting drainage from the rivers into the sea. As rainfall levels are also high during the monsoon seasons; river flows; local rain; and raised water levels for the Bay of Bengal result in flooding of vast areas. Recurring flooding in Bangladesh affects a greater share of the population than other natural hazards; with once every three to five years; up to two-thirds of the country is inundated.Most of the well-researched locations when it comes to floods in Bangladesh are along the major rivers (Jamuna; Padma; Meghna rivers); the big cities (e.g.; Dhaka); and to some extent the coastal areas. It is not the case for smaller rivers such as Muhuri; Kahua; Dakatia; Feni; Little Feni; and Gomati rivers; which were some of the main sources of the devastating Eastern Flash Flood in August 2024 that affected almost six million people. Better understanding the flood dynamics in these affected regions more specifically (which include the smaller rivers indicated above) and in other flood-prone areas more broadly; its flood behavior; and potential interventions; is necessary to increase flood resilience in these areas. This assignment will attempt to address this gap; with an ultimate aim to inform the Government of Bangladesh (GoB)’s planning for flood resilience in such areas. This assignment aims to support long-term and comprehensive thinking how to build long-term resilience; focusing in the area of interest (i.e.; districts affected by the Eastern Flash Flood in August 2024); and potentially extending to the broader parts of the country that are exposed to riverine; coastal; and flash floods. The key activities which are foreseen in this assignment are the following:1. 1. Integrated Flood Hazard and Risk Assessment: i) Detailed assessment of existing flood protection infrastructure and non-structural measures (e.g. EWS) in place and summary of challenges with these systems plus also lessons learned from the floods (and earlier flood events) in flood-affected regions; ii) Inventory; collection and review of baseline information on exposure and vulnerability including but not limited to population distribution and characteristics; building footprint; infrastructure (e.g.; roads; rail; water utility; electricity); iii) Review of earlier studies and summarizing existing knowledge on floods in this region (e.g.; using information from Coastal Embankment Improvement Project Phase I (CEIP-1) Long-Term Monitoring Study); iv) Detailed flood hazard and risk assessment including all mechanisms (coastal; fluvial; pluvial flooding) and taking explicitly into consideration compound flood impacts and also climate and socio-economic changes.2. 2. Strategic Investment Plan for preparation of next phase flood protection projects: i) Area description including economic drivers and population growth; key opportunities for growth and challenges in development; ii) A series of Design Ateliers for identified hotspots with representatives from relevant government agencies (e.g. LGED; BWDB; BMD) and specific invitees from universities based on the flood risk assessment to identify the needs in terms of flood protection in view of economic activities; communities; and future socioeconomic development; and how these can be combined with other needs (e.g. transportation; housing development); iii) Identification and sizing of potential structural interventions combining hard infrastructure such as embankments; drainage infrastructure; dredging; retention spaces; etc with nature-based solutions; iv) Identification of non-structural interventions to enhance flood resilience including early warning systems; improved zoning; building codes for resilient housing; and emergency management for flood defences; v) Strategic investment plan with prioritized interventions based on high-level cost-benefit analysis; environmental/social screening; O&M capacity; other constraints; and including a financing plan for prioritized interventions in the short- and medium-term;3. 3. A framework for Early Warning: i) Detailed Assessment and a gap analysis of the existing hydrometeorological monitoring; flood forecasting; and dissemination of warnings; ii) Develop an inventory of equipment; facilities and services needed to meet the requirements of the user sectors (e.g.; agriculture; infrastructure; hydropower; and general public); including the capital and O&M e