Morts Musings

Bangladesh Floods- Harbinger of Climate Change?

by Mort on Jul.21, 2009, under Environment, Rants

Bangladesh has only existed as an independent country since 1971. Before that it was part of Pakistan, & was known as East Pakistan, during the period between India’s partition and achieving it’s own independence.
In terms of it’s geography, the majority of Bangladesh occupies a low lying basin which contains the Ganges Delta; a confluence of the Ganges, Brahmaputra & Meghna Rivers. As such the majority of the country is very low lying, with the majority of the land being less than 5m above sea level. Historically this has lead to Bangladesh being very prone to flooding; It is both vulnerable to storm surges from Cyclones, and to flooding caused by the monsoons swelling the country’s great rivers, and, between these two factors, flooding is a reality which many Bangldeshis have to cope with annually.

Although there’s been a lot of talk in the news about the this year’s late monsoons, and the consequences this will have for India’s agricultural sector, it’s still looking like Bangladesh is going to be subject to it’s normal annual flooding over the next few months.
Last week I caught this video report from the BBC, part of a series which highlights the plight of Bangladesh’s poor as they prepare for the annual deluge. It not only gives some insight into the terrible conditions which these people have to endure as part of their day-to-day lives, but also highlighted, for me, how vulnerable the residents of Bangladesh are to the effects of global warming; With ~50% of the country lying at 3m above sea level, or less, it’s easy to see how even a modest rise in sea levels would render much of the country uninhabitable. This would be a disaster for any nation, but with Bangladesh being a relatively poor nation, yet at the same time being the world’s 7th most populous (~150 million people), it’s quite clear that it’s people stand to suffer more than most if climate change predictions are correct.

Washout:

Washout: the topography clearly shows why Bangladesh floods so regularly


As the BBC report made me realise, it’s people who live in these marginal environments who are going to be the first to really feel the impact of climate change, and some of those interviewed in the series are claiming that they are already seeing a difference in the pattern, and severity, of the annual flooding!
Debates about computer models, and statistics, thrown back and forth between the pro- & anti- anthropogenic climate change camps are all very well, and honest discussion of the facts we have is absolutely a necessity, but it seems somewhat asinine to be continuing the debate about whether there is a problem when people on the ground are already observing a change. Surely now is the time to start taking serious action on the issue of climate change, before more countries start to suffer catastrophic, way of life changing, weather patterns!

In the mean time, spare a thought for the poor of Bangladesh who, over the next couple of months, are going to be dealing with the floods; Think about that next time you’re cursing the wet British summer, by comparison we have it easy… for the moment!
The BBC report also mentioned the work which Oxfam, amongst other charities, are doing to help preparations for this years Bangladesh Floods, so if you can afford to spare more than just a thought for Bangladesh’s poor take a look at Oxfam’s campaign page to see how you can get involved!

:,

11 Comments for this entry

  • Clemento
    August 5th, 2009 on 10:28 pm

    Valuable thoughts and advices. I read your topic with great interest.

  • D G
    August 17th, 2009 on 5:20 pm

    Oxfam respond very quickly each year when the Bangladesh floods arrive.

    They are frequently one of the first aid agencies to arrive and immediately begin to support families providing food and shelter. Simple things like buckets, cooking utensils, first aid and hygiene kits to prevent disease all make a difference.

    Consider what you can do to hlep make a difference to the lives of those affected each year by the bangladesh floods – make a donation or even give a goat – be humankind.

  • kurye
    October 14th, 2009 on 10:43 pm

    excellent thank you for share

  • Rahm
    October 20th, 2009 on 11:44 am

    It was interesting. You seem very knowledgeable in your field.

  • Damelio
    October 20th, 2009 on 8:35 pm

    You are a very smart person!

  • Wilbert
    December 4th, 2009 on 4:07 pm

    It is a great article. It is not pleasant to hear how the rising water levels could impact coastal cities. Hopefully, climate change will be prevented and Bangladesh will be saved.

  • loppzer
    December 9th, 2009 on 4:40 pm

    This was a great read though! Thanks..

  • britt
    December 12th, 2009 on 2:36 pm

    I have been searching for sites related to this. Glad I found you. Thanks

  • Julienne Jaubert
    December 22nd, 2009 on 12:01 pm

    I always say that to succeed in the internet, your post should either be useful or entertaining. This post passed that test! Thanks.

  • Neoma Kamen
    February 3rd, 2010 on 4:20 pm

    Hi there, nice site with good info. I really like coming back here often. There’s only one thing that annoys me and that is the misfunctioning of comment posting. I usually get to 500 error page, and have to do the post twice.

  • Mort
    February 4th, 2010 on 1:22 pm

    The comment posting works fine for me and other commentators, maybe it’s a problem at your end? If you’re having problems with losing posts maybe highlight and copy the text before hitting submit- at least that way you’re not having to re-type everything :)

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