Floods in Bangladesh
 |
Bangladesh, being located at the confluence of several of South Asia's major rivers, suffers from floods almost every year. Major portions of the country are part of the Ganges Delta, the largest flood plain in the world. The floods have caused havoc in Bangladesh throughout history, especially during the recent years: 1987, 1988, and 1998. Floods bring silt and make the soil cheap.
Causes
Bangladesh is a very low lying country, (only 1-2 metres in most parts). The contributon of global warming in the last few years has set in motion the rise in sea water levels, the narrow north tip to the Bay of Bengal, tropical storms that whip up wind speeds of up 225 km/h send waves(up to 8 metres tall) crashing into the coast , the shallow sea bed and the fact that water coming down from the rivers Ganges and Brahmaputa can not escape when the water level rises all conribute to the severe flooding of the Bangladesh coastline.
However this is not the only reason as due to the effects of deforestation in Nepal, there have been an increase in the flood risk of the two major rivers running through Banglasdesh. The river Ganges and the river Brahmaputra. Deforestation leads to more water in rivers which allows more sediment to build up which leads to a higher risk of flooding.
To further increase the risk of flooding, Bangladesh is a frequent receiver of cyclones. These fierce winds create chaos in the water, and often, destroy banks and dams. Since Bandladesh is adjacent to a warm ocean, cyclones are a common occurance.
The last cause of flooding was snow melt from the Himalayas. jammay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Effects
Over 57 per cent of the land area was flooded. In Assam in the north-east more than 1 million people lost their homes as a result of the floods. In the Nalbari district, 240 villages were submerged . Over 1000 people were killed and millions were made homeless. There were severe shortages of drinking water. Diseases such as bronchitis and diarrhoea spread. As the waters drained away, brown fields of rotting crops, villages buried in sand and silt, and wrecked roads and bridges were left behind. The floods cost the country almost $1 billion.
See System of a down for there responce
Prevention of future floods
- Mangrove swamps are being planted off the coast in order to increase the amount of land that forms storm breakers in order to make the sea loose energy.
- Embankments have been built to protect coast, these are constantly being maintained.
- Early warning systems are being installed.
- Large concrete shelters built above flood levels to protect people, strong enough to withstand strong winds.