Flood problems in Bangladesh: Is there an indigenous solution?

Abstract

/ Bangladesh, situated on the delta of the Ganges, the Brahmaputra, and the Meghna dvers, experiences two distinct types of inundations: (a) river floods resulting from excessive runoff contributed by monsoon precipitation and (b) coastal floods induced by storm surges of tropical cyclones. The river floods are normal annual events and human settlements and agricultural practices have adapted admirably well to their regimes. Abnormal floods that occur once in every few years cause serious damage to crops and properties. To minimize flood losses, a number of modern engineering projects have been constructed within Bangladesh. However, the successful solution of the problem would probably require some international collaboration for basinwide unified systems planning, since large parts of the drainage basins of Bangladesh lie beyond its borders. In the absence of such collaboration, internal resources should be utilized for the construction of smaller public projects, such as polders, and for encouraging and reinforcing various types of indigenous adjustments to floods. There are very few successful indigenous adjustments to coastal floods. Most of the structural solutions, such as community shelters and higher embankments, are expensive public projects that are probably beyond the means of the internal resources of the country.

Uncertainty in levee heights and its effect on the spatial pattern of flood hazard in a floodplain

“…This trend is also typical in developing parts of the world, such as Africa (Di Baldassarre et al 2010) and Bangladesh (Rasid and Paul 1987). Artificial levees or embankments are the most common form of structure put in place to protect settlements in floodplains.…”

Industrial Ecology in Developing Countries

“…In some cases, historic management of resources in developing countries has been postulated as more sustainable than the way resources are currently managed around the world; examples are fl ood management along the Brahmaputra in West Bengal (Rasid and Paul 1987 ) and community-based construction and maintenance of water tanks in the pre-British era in various regions in India (Mosse 1997 ). IE can offer qualitative and quantitative measures to understand and monitor such initiatives.…”

Crucibles of Hazard: Mega-Cities and Disasters in Transition

“…Tropical cyclones, riverine floods, riverbank erosion, and tornadoes have inflicted a continuing sequence of heavy losses (Brammer, 1987(Brammer, , 1990a(Brammer, , 1990bChoudhury, 1984;Chowdhury, 1993;Hossain, 1993;Islam, 1974;Jabbar, 1990;Khalil, 1992Khalil, , 1993McDonald, 1991;Matsuda, 1993;Montgomery, 1985;Paul, 1993;Rahman and Bennish, 1993;Zaman, 1993). Scientists are divided about the mix of natural and societal factors that is involved in these disasters, and sharp disputes about appropriate hazardmanagement policy have sometimes soured relations between the government of Bangladesh and the international aid community (Anon., 1988(Anon., , 1993Bingham, 1992;Custers, 1992;Haque, 1993;Ives and Messerli, 1989;Pearce, 1993Pearce, , 1994Rasid and Paul, 1987;Sklar, 1993;Tickell, 1993). Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, faces many profound challenges.…”