An Analytical Study of Flood Management in Bangladesh

Abstract

Bangladesh along with the state of West Bengal in India is situated in the lowest area of the Hindu Kush-Himalayan Region (HKH) and is famous as one of the highest flood prone countries in the world. Flood to some extent is an annual expected and well-come event for many reasons for this country. But extreme flood inundates more than half of the country's landmass causing immense suffering to the human life, damages properties and economy. Aim of the flood management in Bangladesh is to minimize damages or to avoid disastrous situation. Though the country is in the eastern part of the lowest ridge of HKH but geography and location of the country make hydrology of Bangladesh very diverse, complex and unique. The NorthEastern part of the country has the river networks with upper hilly catchments having one of the world's highest rainfall intensity and causes frequent flash floods. In the NorthWestern part rainfall intensity is lower, higher altitude and mighty perennial river network causes river flood. The SouthEastern part has moderate rainfall intensity, hilly as well as coastal plain land, flashy and tidal river network causes both the storm surge and flash flood. The South Western region has also moderate rainfall, coastal plain land and tidal rivers cause storm surge due to cyclone. Principles of flood management in the country based on these different types of floods and geographical conditions either by non-structural or structural measures. As a non-structural measure for flood loss minimization, flood forecasting and warning services has been emphasized. Structural measures began in late 60's by implementing number of flood control projects. I.

A high-resolution spatial analysis of climate threats to coastal infrastructure and sustainable development outcomes

“…Bangladesh is situated in a global hotspot of climate hazards, with more than 80% of its land area consisting of floodplain lands 31 . Frequent and intense fluvial, pluvial, and tidal flooding, cyclonic winds and associated storm surges, and widespread riverbank and coastal erosion impact the country on an annual basis 32,33,34 . The repeated damages and disruptions to infrastructure networks as a result of these multiple hazards place a heavy burden on the country's economic growth, social resilience, and progress towards achieving the SDGs.…”

A geospatial assessment of flood hazard in north‐eastern depressed basin, Bangladesh

“…Floods can be divided into four categories in Bangladesh: (1) flash floods originating from hilly areas, (2) monsoon floods, (3) rain-fed floods, and (4) floods caused by storm surges (Rahman et al, 2007). In Bangladesh, pre-monsoon flash floods occur almost every year in some parts of the northeast Haor basin between March and May while riverine flooding occurs between June and September.…”

“…It has been predicted that the estimated average cost of flood damage in the coastal parts of Bangladesh is likely to rise from $1180 to $2601 million in 25 years (Adnan et al, 2020). Therefore, to mitigate the severity of flood impacts and to develop forecasting facilities as well as disaster preparedness, it is necessary to identify and assess areas that are prone to flooding as well as the duration of water extension (Kwak, 2017;Rahman et al, 2007). Remote sensing techniques, especially the spectral index-based classification method, are tools with great potential as they can provide useful data for flood monitoring, flood damage assessment, investigation of water resources, flood extent mapping, flood hazard prediction assessment and water resources planning (Profeti & Macintosh, 1997;Tv & Kn, 2019;Psomiadis et al, 2019;Haibo et al, 2011;Aldhshan et al, 2019).…”