Floods in Bangladesh

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Flooded streets of Baridhara, Dhaka, during the 2004 flood

Bangladesh is built over the flood plains of four major rivers, the Brahmaputra, Meghna, Wange and Ganges Rivers. The three rivers converge in Bangladesh and empty into the Bay of Bengal through the largest river delta in the world.^[1]. Floods help make the cultivable land in Bangladesh fertile and this help the agriculture sector of the country. But, excessive flood is considered a calamity. The floods have caused havoc in Bangladesh throughout history, especially during the recent years: 1987, 1988, and 1998. The most recent one occurred in 2007. According to government statistics 298 people died and a total of 1,02,11,780 people are badly affected by it. 58,866 houses are completely damaged for the flood up to 13 August 2007.^[2] they caused serious winds from the south that caused the water to come down to Bangladesh.

Dozens of villages were inundated when rain pushed the rivers of northwestern Bangladesh over their banks in early October 2005. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured the top image of the flooded Ghaghat and Atrai Rivers on October 12, 2005. The deep blue of the rivers is spread across the countryside in the flood image.

Bangladesh is a very low lying country, (only 3-7 feet in most parts). The rise in sea water levels, the narrow north tip to the Bay of Bengal, tropical storms that whip up wind speeds of up 140 mph (225 km/h)send waves (up to 26 feet tall) crashing into the coast, the shallow sea bed and the fact that water coming down from the rivers Ganges and Brahmaputra can not escape when the water level rises all contribute to the severe flooding of the Bangladesh coastline.

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 Bangladesh is adjacent to a warm ocean, cyclones are a common occurrence.

The population density on the flood plains is so great due to the fertility of the soil that many people are forced to farm on the slopes. Deforestation and agricultural practices loosen the soil, causing it to flow into the rivers when it rains. As a result, the depth of the river bed decreases and flooding is more likely to occur.[2]