8.2.7

Flooding Case Study: Bangladesh

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Rivers of Bangladesh

Three main rivers flow through Bangladesh. They are the Ganges, the Brahmaputra and the Surma (Barak).

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Rivers

  • The three main rivers flowing through Bangladesh are:
    • The Ganges.
    • The Brahmaputra.
    • The Surma (Barak).
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The Ganges

  • The Ganges is 2,510 km long.
  • It is a vital river for the country both financially and sacredly.
  • Its source is located in the Himalaya Mountains.
  • It then flows downstream through Calcutta (India) and finally out into the Bay of Bengal.
  • The citizens of both Bangladesh and India rely on the river to grow crops.
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The Brahmaputra River

  • The Brahmaputra River is 2,900 km long.
  • It has its source in the upland area of Kailash in Tibet.
  • It frequently deposits rich soils which benefit farmers.
  • However it also can produce devastating flood waters that endanger the local people.

Flooding: Consequences & Actions

Bangladesh suffers from frequent flooding events and some have caused great loss of life.

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Reasons

  • Bangladesh suffers from frequent flooding events.
    • This is due to monsoon rains and tropical cyclones.
    • Much of the country is also very low-lying land.
      • This makes Bangladesh more susceptible to flooding after these weather events.
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Flood of 2017

  • In 2017, heavy rainfall caused an estimated 6 million people to be displaced and killed 93.
  • 450,000 hectares of farmland was also flooded and 500,000 homes were destroyed.
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Flood of 2004

  • One of the most devastating floods in the country occurred in 2004.
  • Over 800 people were killed due to the spread of disease.
  • An estimated 36 million people displaced.
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Response

  • In response to the frequent flooding events the government have invested in short and potentially long-term responses to reduce the impact of flooding events in the future.
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Short-term responses

  • Short-term responses have included:
    • Repairing flood embankments.
    • Providing food and drinking water.
    • Giving farmers new seeds.
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Long-term responses

  • Long-term responses have included:
    • Reducing the rate of deforestation.
    • Developing technology to implement flood warning systems.
    • Construction of dams to store water.

Jump to other topics

1Geography Skills

2Geology of the UK

3Geography of the World

4Development

5Weather & Climate

6The World of Work

7Natural Resources

8Rivers

9Coasts

10Glaciers

11Tectonics

12Climate Change

13Global Population & Inequality

14Urbanisation

15Ecosystems

16Life in an Emerging Country

17Analysis of Africa

18Analysis of India

19Analysis of the Middle East

20Analysis of Bangladesh

21Analysis of Russia

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