BangladeshBy: Maddie, Sam, and Megan

Background 75% of Bangladesh is less than 10m above sea level

Located on Ganges Delta

80% is flood plain

Heavy rain common

800 rivers run through the country

History Massive floods common

Flood of 1970 - caused by tropical cyclone - Over 1 Million people died

The flood of 1988 - 82,000 km2 of land, (60% of the area) - lasted 15 to 20 days

History Continued The flood of 1998 - flooding covered 2/3 of country for 9 months - 2,000 drowned and 30 million left homeless - destroyed a ¼ of all the crops, thousands starved

The flood of 2003 - tropical cyclone that killed 1 million people and left 10’s of millions homeless

Why Care? Millions die from drowning, starvation,

and water borne illness

Mass migrations of refugees

Destroys crops and livestock

Future Issues IPCC predicts rises in sea level will

permanently flood 11% of Bangladesh

As climate warms, stronger storms are predicted

Population estimated to grow from 147 million in 2008 to 215 Million by 2050

Solutions Preserve forests in Water Shed

Preserve and restore wetlands

Use floodplains for recharging aquifers

Sustainable agriculture and forestry

Solutions Continued Straighten and deepen streams

(channelization)

Build Levies and flood walls along streams

Build dams