1998 Bangladesh floods
The 1998 flooding of Bangladesh was one of the most destructive flooding events in modern world history - about two-thirds of Bangladesh was covered by the waters of the Brahmaputra, the Ganges and the Meghna rivers.
Causes
Natural physical causes of the flood include the that 43% of Bangladesh is a flood plain, with 62% of the total area only about 1 meter above sea level and 20% of the land area is made up of lakes and rivers. While monsoons are a natural part of the climate of Bangladesh, 1998 year brought tropical storms with heavier than average rainfall and coastal flooding which, along with snowmelt from the Himalayas in late spring and summer, caused all three major rivers in Bangladesh to have their peak flow at the same time. Deforestation in Nepal and the Himalayas and dams built in India which increased sedimentation helped cause the flooding. The urbanization of the flood plain (particularly in Dhaka) and poorly maintained embankments that collapse in times of heavy floods contributed to the severity of the effects of the flooding. Global warming can also be credited for helping increase the water levels due to increased snowmelt, sea level and rainfall. Many of the causes of the 1998 flooding can be attributed to human impact on the environment. For example, the effects of aggridation (a combination of irrigation and cultivation) upstream of the Brahmaputra and Ganges has contributed towards the heightened flood risk. Furthermore, the sinking for wells in upstream areas to provide fresh drinking water has altered the level of the water table, subsiding the land above by an estimated 25mm per year.
Effects
The floods covered over two-thirds of Bangladesh in water for 50 days and the capital Dhaka was submerged under two meters of water. 30 million people were made homeless and the death toll reached over a thousand.[1] The flooding caused contamination of crops and animals and unclean water resulted in cholera and typhoid outbreaks. Few hospitals were functional because of damage from the flooding and those that were had too many patients, resulting in everyday injuries becoming fatal due to lack of treatment. 700,000 hectares of crops (which included mainly maize rice and jute) were destroyed, with approximately 2 million tons of rice being wiped out. [2] 400 factories were forced to close, and there was a 20% decrease in economic production. Communication within the country also became difficult. It is estimated that a total of $1 billion of damage was caused by the flooding. The floods did deposit fertile soil and silt, which meant better growing conditions for crops the next season. This included the formation of several "chars" (small islands of fertile farm land formed from silt deposits).
Consequences
Immediately following the 1998 floods, a number of short-term relief measures were put in place to minimize loss of life. International aid programs provided food to Bangladeshis and the government of Bangladesh distributed free seed to farmers to reduce the impact of food shortages (the government also gave 350,000 tons of cereal to feed people). Volunteers and aid workers worked to repair flood damage.
A number of measures were suggested to help prevent future flooding, such as dam construction upstream and major embankments around Dhaka, however, lack of money has meant that these suggestions have not been taken any further.
Also, the United States of America donated SPARRSO, a weather station to monitor weather patterns, as well as predicting the next storm, flood or heavy rainfall.