Climatic impact on land type
Bangladesh is a flood prone country and very often experiences devastating flood during monsoon that causes damage to crops and properties. The total drainage area of Ganges Brahmaputra Meghna basin is 1.75 million sq.km and the average annual water flow is 1350 billion cubic meters, which is drained through Bangladesh. If rainfall increases due to climate change in the GBM basin that will create huge water flow through the rivers of Bangladesh. Eventually the monsoon flood will be more devastating due to increase of precipitation and sea level rise that may cause more damage to crops and properties if adaptation measures are not taken.
Bangladesh is a flood prone country and very often experiences devastating flood during monsoon that causes damage to crops and properties. In normal years, about one fifth of the country is flooded. The total drainage area of Ganges Brahmaputra Meghna basin is 1.75million sq.km and the average annual water flow is 1350 billion cubic meters. If rainfall increases due to climate change in the GBM basin that will create huge water flow through the rivers of Bangladesh. Eventually the monsoon flood will be more devastating due to increase of precipitation that may cause more damage to crops and properties if adaptation measures are not taken. Bangladesh in general is subject to floods because much of the country occupies the deltaic floodplains of the Brahmaputra/Jamuna, Ganges/Padma, and Meghna Rivers, which is the second largest river system in the world.
The country with future climate change scenario will be highly susceptible to increased flooding both in terms of extent and frequency as well as increased moisture stress during dry periods leading to increase drought both in terms of intensity and frequency. Context demands to extend the adaptive capacities with land related disasters in Bangladesh.
(Shishir Reza, Environmental Analyst & Associate Member, Bangladesh Economic Association)
