Transcript Flooding in Bangladesh

Today we are going to build a case study of flooding in Bangladesh. This will
contrast with the MEDC case study of Boscastle that we have already
studied.
Starter: Sketch the map below and label the countries:
China
India
Nepal
Bangladesh
Pakistan
Bhutan
Burma
Why does Bangladesh flood?
Split answers into Physical and Human causes.
Source: BBC
Bangladesh is a delta.
The low level of the
delta land means that
the country is prone
to flooding. 75% of
Bangladesh is at or
below just 10 metres
in height.
Bangladesh also suffers regularly
from substantial flooding caused
by monsoon rains and melting
snows from the Himalayas.
Source: World Infozone.com
Freshwater floods occur when a watershed receives so
much water that it cannot drain into the soil quickly
enough to take the water away. Bangladesh has three
mighty rivers, the Ganges, the Jamuna and the Meghna.
Most floods follow heavy rain or melting snow, frozen
ground and already high river levels. The floods in
Bangladesh begin through a combination of heavy
monsoon rains flooding the rivers and abnormally high
tides in the Bay of Bengal preventing floodwater from
running off the land and into the sea.
The likelihood of flooding can be increased by human
activities too, such as too many trees being cut down,
stripping the land bare of the vital top soil which slows
and drains water. Also, In built-up areas with a lot of
concrete roads and houses, there are fewer places for
water to go and less soil for water to drain into. So
planners in cities prone to flooding have to develop ways
of channelling water to cope with potential floods.
Source: Global Express.org
Where does the flooding occur?
Identify specific regions that are worst hit.
What are the effects of the floods?
Split answers into positive and negative.
Bangladesh Floods
More than 450 people have died and more
than 30 million people in Bangladesh are
affected by the recent floods. Of the
country's 64 districts, 43 are affected by
the rising waters. Around 40 per cent of
the county's capital, Dhaka, is covered in
water and Government figures report
more than 150,000 homes have been
destroyed and more than half a million
acres of crops destroyed.
Floodwaters place the population at risk
from a range of water-borne diseases,
including diarrhoea, dysentery, typhoid
and cholera. Outbreaks of diarrhoea have
already been reported, especially in the
capital, where sewers mix with floodwater
and water supplies are contaminated.
Although Bangladesh is used to floods,
this year levels and coverage has been far
worse than normal and the monsoon
season has only just started.
World Vision UK
The deltas of the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers in
South Asia flood on a seasonal basis. The flooding
keeps the soil fertile because the rivers deposit silt
which forms fertile soil each year. Partly because of the
flooding, it is one of the most densely populated areas
of the world with millions of people in Nepal, Northern
India and Bangladesh depending on the rivers and
fertile soils for their livelihoods.
Tear Fund UK
How have decision makers respond to the flooding?
The Flood Action Plan (FAP) was set up in 1990 supported by several wealthy countries and the
World Bank. Its aim was to reduce the impact of the floods that occurred annually in Bangladesh.
The FAP’s objectives were to set up regional planning groups to study and monitor local river
processes, followed by the construction of huge embankments to protect the land, initially from
river flooding. It was intended to construct coastal embankments to protect from storm surges
brought by cyclones but these have not been completed. As a result the FAP is not considered to
have been a complete success. Over 3 million people have been killed by coastal flooding in the
last 30 years.
The first findings of the FAP in 1995 stated that, while the flood protection scheme was
economically desirable for urban areas, it was not a good idea in rural areas, which are dependent
upon fishing and farming.
What issues are faced in implementing strategies in countries like Bangladesh?
Whilst the embankments have been strengthened, increased in height and extended in
many places, the FAP has come across several problems, such as:
1. The Bangladeshi Government cannot afford the high maintenance costs of the scheme
2. The embankments are at risk of erosion from the rivers
3. River channelisation by FAP embankments has increased the risk of flood damage for
downstream areas
4. An estimated 8 million people were forced to move due to the FAP. These were people who
relied on farming and fishing to support themselves.
5. Today, smaller, more sustainable projects tend to be favoured such as flood embankments
to protect important urban areas (like Dhaka), improved forecasting and early warning
systems and the building of flood shelters (areas of raised land to provide a save haven for
people in times of flood).
BBC Bitesize