Bs 5 6 environment issues

Geographical Features & Environmental Issues in

BangladeshDr. Anisur Rahman

Khan

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Bangladesh: Geographical FactsFacts Facts Facts

Location: South Asia

Area: 148,460 sq km

Land boundary: Burma 271 km & India 4,142 km

Coastal line: 580

Territorial sea: 12nm, Economic zone: 200 nm

Terrain: mostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast, also some part of eastern & southern portion

Landscapes: Floodplains (80%), terraces (8%), hills (12%) & other (8%)

Land: Agricultural (70.1%), Forest (11.1%) & Other 18.8%

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Bangladesh: Geography FactsFacts Facts Facts

Hills: High hills (over 20 meters altitude) in the southeast, and low hills (less than 20 meters) in the northeast

Natural resources: natural gas, arable land, timber, coal, water resources etc.

Climate: Tropical; mild winter (November to February); hot, humid summer (March to June); humid, warm rainy monsoon (June to October)

Seasons (Meteorological & Cropping): Summer, monsoon, winter

Net sown area: 17.5% single crop, 54.7% double crop & 20.4% triple crop

Natural resources: natural gas, arable land, timber, coal, water resources etc. 3

Bangladesh occupies a unique geographic location. The mighty Himalaya mountain chain of the north and the open ocean of the South. It is virtually the only drainage outlet for a vast river basin complex made up of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna and their network.

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Bangladesh- A land of rivers

The river systems have shaped much of the history, economy, literature and rich culture of the people

About 700 rivers;River length: 25,000 km; Transboundary

river: 575

Ganga, B’putra & Meghna river system is the second largest in the world, only next to Amazan

The Complex Water System

1. Beels, baors, haors, rivers and canals, floodplains, estuaries etc. make up vast network of wetlands2. Bangladesh is located within the largest delta that is continuously being formed, along with heavy clay soil making its rivers constantly subject to change 3. Large areas are subject to annual flooding

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The Ganges River Basin

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Geographical Advantages• Tropical climate favours high-yielding

agriculture possible• Flatness of land, good soil, quantity of

water are good assets for cultivation• Bangladesh possesses a rich heritage of

bio-diversity. Population is heavily reliant on management of natural resources, forests and hill tracts for their livelihood and survival

• Extensive coastline opens access to oceanfront resources, strategic importance, trade potentials

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Geographical Advantages

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Geographical Advantages

•After the final settlement of maritime border disputes with Myanmar and India in 2012 and 2014 respectively, Bangladesh has received entitlement to 118,813 sq. km comprising her territorial sea and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) (MoFA, 2014)

• HUGE POTENTIAL FOR EXTENTION OF BLUE ECONOMY, WHY?

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International Politics of Water Mgt

•Bangladesh is highly constrained managing its water needs

• As a lower “riparian” country Bangladesh is heavily vulnerable to the downstream effects of India’s water management efforts

•Farakka barrage on Ganges built in 1974 became a source of political tension

• In 1996 two countries signed 30 yr water Ganges Water Treaty

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•Second disputes relates to Teesta, a barrage built by Bangladesh in 1990 hampered operation while India built barrage in upstream

• Tipaimuk hydroelectric project is another example of India’s interference with Bangladesh’s water rights

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FarakkaTipimuk

Teesta

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Environmental Issues in Bangladesh

Critical Issues Sudden onset issues

Slow onset process

Population Growth

Climate change Urbanization Water &

Sanitation Various Pollution Deforestation Arsenic

Contamination Solid waste

Management

Floods Cyclones River

Erosion Earthquak

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Coastal erosion

Sea level rise Salt water

intrusion Rising temp Drought Changing

rainfall15

1.Huge flows of rainfall and snow melt from Himalayas across the boarder

2. Poor Drainage system3. Excessive silt load in the river due to soil erosion

•Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna Basins

1. Cyclone wind come from south-West side.2. 70% Cyclone occurs in Springand Summer season.3. Main cause for cyclone is geographical location4. Bangladesh is severely affectedby Cyclone

Massive loss after Cyclone

Cyclone wind direction

CYCLONE

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Cyclone SIDR 2007 Track

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Cyclone Sidr, 2007.mp4

Suddenly Natural gas is coming out

EARTHQUAKE1. We feel shake sometimes2. Very densely populated area, so any future earthquake will bring serious affect

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Date Name( Place) Magnitude Epicenter distance in Richter from Dhaka (km) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 10 Jan 1869 Kachar earthquake 7.5 250 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14 Jul 1885 Bengal earthquake(Bogra ) 7.0 170 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12 Jun 1897 Great Indian Earthquake 8.7 230 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 08 Jul 1918 Srimangal Earthquake ( Srimangal) 7.6 150 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 02 Jul 1930 Dhubri Earthquake 7.1 250 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15 Jan 1934 Bihar-Nepal Earthquake (Bihar) 8.3 510 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15 Aug 1950 Asam Earthquake (Asam) 8.5 780 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 08 May 1997 Sylhet Earthquake (Sylhet ) 6.0 210 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 21 Nov 1997 Chittagong Earthquake (Chittagong) 8.5 264 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 22 Jul 1999 Moheskhali Earthquake (Cox;s Bazar ) 5.2 300 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 27-Jul 2003 Chittagong-Rangamati Earthquake 5.9 290 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Date Name( Place) Magnitude Epicenter distance in Richter from Dhaka (km) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4 Jan 2016 Imphal /Nepal earthquake 6.7 352 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13 April 2016 Myanmar 6.9 --- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bangladesh is divided into 3 earthquake zones :

• Zone –1 : the less risky zone (includes

Jessore , Khulna and Barisal Dist .)• Zone – 2 : medium vulnerable zone

(includes Dhaka ,Rajshahi , Dinajpur, Bogra , Chittagong and Noakhali Dist.

• Zone – 3 : the most vulnerable zone (includes Sylhet , Mymensingh and

Rangpur Districts.)

EARTHQUAKE ZONES IN BANGLADESH

TORNADO 1. Tornado occurs in centralpart of Bangladesh.2. 75% Tornado occurs inMonsoon season3. People affected within a fewminutes.

DROUGHT

# Drought occures in Pre-Monsoon time# Lack of rain and Moisture, the People affected by Drought# Sometimes, North-west And South-west regions affected by drought

The paddy field for over sunlight

RIVER BANK EROSION

Embankment broken by the river

1.River Bank Erosion causes in the Rainy season.3.About 1 million people affected bythis disaster in every year.4.People migrate from one place to another.

Solid waste creates problems primarily in high-population areas

•Half of the solid waste comes from household

•Dhaka city corporations can collect 42% of the total generated waste, the rest lie on roadsides, open drains, low-lying areas, or vacant lots

•More than 80% of the solid waste of Dhaka city is organic in content which has the potential to be used as compost

SOLID WASTE

SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT

•Arsenic is a white, semi-metallic

powder found in nature whose components are highly toxic, can cause ulcer, cancer & thickening of the skin

•Arsenic deposits have entered the drinking water, entering the food system, and cause various health hazards

•Arsenic contamination in ground water was first detected in 1993, 54 districts are affected

•Around 45 to 80 million people are at risk from arsenic

ARSENIC CONTAMINATION IN BANGLADESH

ARSENIC CONTAMINATION IN BANGLADESH

POPULATION GROWTH

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Street View- Somewhere in Australia

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Street View- Somewhere in Bangladesh

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Population GrowthWhat do you think about future population growth in Bangladesh?

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Demographic Profile of Bangladesh

Population: 166,280,712 (July 2014 est.)

Population Density

Population density: Population density is the number of people per unit of area ; 1,118.65 per square kilometer

Population Growth Rate

growth rate: The average annual percent change in the population 1.58 per thousand

Population and Environment •The depletion of water

resources, overfishing, degradation of arable land, decimation of forests, and alteration of natural cycles and ecosystems are among the principal concerns.

Environmental Pollution

Environmental Pollution and Bangladesh

Bangladesh is apparently in the grips of all sorts of environmental pollution & it is increasing at an alarming rate

Environmental Pollution: Bangladesh Perspective

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f75TAvZohqs

Types of Pollution Air pollution Noise/sound pollution Water pollution Soil pollution Thermal pollution Land degradation Natural Disaster Radiation pollution

Air Pollution Air pollution adversely affects the

respiratory tract, causes eye irritation, headache, fatigue, asthma, hypertension and cardiac problem

50 tons of lead are emitted annually in Dhaka’s atmosphere, evidence of emission is acute during dry season

Dhaka is one of the highly polluted cities in the world in terms of air pollution

In urban area, automobiles & industrial emissions cause air pollution, in rural area brick field causes serious pollution

Noise Pollution Noise pollution leads to

Irritation and an increased blood pressure, Loss of temper, Decrease in work efficiency, Loss of hearing WHO (World Health Organization) has prescribed

optimum noise level as 45 dB by day and 35 dB by night. Anything above 80 dB is hazardous

WHO at 45 locations of Dhaka city, most of the traffic points and many of the industrial, residential, commercial, silent and mixed areas are suffering noises exceeding the standard limits of Bangladesh.

Water Pollution Addition or presence of undesirable

substances in water is called water pollution

All types of water borne disease are the ultimate results of polluted water

Due to water pollution, the life-cycle of fish and other aquatic organism hamper tremendouslyhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZeY7AyfoqU

Sources of Water Pollution•Unplanned use of pesticides and

inorganic chemicals•Thermal pollution• Industrial wastewater discharge •Land degradation/ river band

errosion •Flood and other natural

calamities and so on

Soil Pollution• Addition of substances which adversely

affect the quality of soil or its fertility is known as soil pollution

• Generally, polluted water also pollute soil• Solid wastes that are the mixture of various

wastes are the primary cause of soil pollution• Industrial wastes, fly ash and chemical from

agricultural sources are also potential sources

• Contribution of municipal wastes and land fillings are the growing sources

Climate Change in Bangladesh

“The most vulnerable country to climate

change effect (USAID)”

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glN9IKNmfaw

Scientific Basis of CC One of the greatest threats to the humanity

today Earlier it was perceived as an environmental

problem (GHG emission & temperature rise). Now it is a developmental problem (poverty, food/water, social securities, MDG/SDG

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) defines climate change as the change resulting from long term direct and indirect activities that induces changes in the compared time which are much more than the natural change

Sources of GHGs & CO2 concentration

Fossil fuel burning Industrialisaton and urbanisation Unsustainable production and

consumption Agriculture and forest depletion Household energy consumption Industrialised and rich countries are

mainly responsible for GHG emission

U.S.

186.1

EuropeanUnion

127.8Russia

68.4Ukraine

21.7Poland14.4

China

57.6Japan

31.2

Australia7.6

India

15.5

Kazakhstan

10.1

South Africa8.5

Canada14.9

Mexico7.8

Trinidad and Tobago

United Arab Emirates

Kuwait

Total CO2 emissions

Between 1950-2001 in billions of tons

TIME magazine, 2001

US: 4% of world’s total population, 25% of the world’s greenhouse gasesChina: 25% of the world’s population, 8.5% of the world’s greenhouse gases (since 1950)

Largest emitters country

Source: CRS Report for Congress, 2008Per capita emissions of CO2 is less than 0.2 ton annually in Bangladesh, compared to 1.6 tons in the developing countries.

The globally averaged surface temperature is projected to increase by 1.4 to 5.8 ºC over the period 1990 to 2100. Global mean sea level is projected to rise by 0.09 to 0.88 m between the years 1990 and 2100.Glaciers and ice caps are projected to continue their widespread retreat during the 21st Century. Dry season flows of river will shrink in future.There will be erratic behavior of weather

Likely Impacts

Dry seasons will have less rainfall. There will be an increase in irrigation water demandForests will be affected as climate changes and plants will need time to adjustFlora and fauna and their inter-relationship will be in jeopardy. Many species will disappear, many will face problems in survivingDrought tolerant, saline tolerant and submergence tolerant varieties of crops will be required to cope with

Likely Impacts…..

Likely Impacts …… Vulnerability to both flood and drought will

increase. River flooding may increase in duration.

Flash flooding will be more frequent. Short duration rainfalls may create drainage congestions specially in urban areas.

A sea level rise of 0.5m by 2050 will cause low lying coastal areas to go under water. Small island states may disappear.

Frequency of tropical cyclones will increase. Storm surge depths will increase.

Climate Change in Bangladesh

•Why is Bangladesh at high risk of climate change?– Geographic location;

– Flat and low-lying land;

– High population density (highest in the world)

– Reliance of natural resources especially for agriculture and fisheries

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Intergovernmental Panel on

Climate Change (IPCC) Assessment

about Bangladesh

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The impact of higher temperatures, more variable precipitation, more extreme weather events, and sea level rise and will continue to intensify.

Increased climate change will cause more intense floods, draughts and storms.

Reduction in crop yield creating a very high risk of hunger.

Low river flows and increased evaporation in the dry period will reduce the amount of fresh water that is available.The predicted sea-level

rise will threaten valuable coastal agricultural land.

Predicted temperature increase will cause the melting of glaciers in the Himalayas.

Climate Change

and Banglades

h

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Sea level rise in different height

Source: The Daily Star, 17th January 2015 59

- Every year, rivers engulf enormous agriculture fields and homesteads, making people homeless

- Migration to urban areas and live in slum under unhygienic conditions

Climate Refugee or Migration

Disaster Effect

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Adaptation & Mitigation• Adaptation:

– Human adjustment with the changing environment

– Bangladesh always put emphasis on adaptation– Example: Preparing cyclone shelter, Raising the

base of the house, changing consumption pattern

• Mitigation:– Taking structural and nonstructural measures to

prevent disaster i.e. reducing carbon dioxide emission.

– There is huge scope for Bangladesh regarding mitigation

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Adaptation

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Adaptation

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Adaptation

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Mitigation Potentials for Bangladesh

• Transport Sector:– Railway: Increasing and strengthening

rail network.1 train = 50 trucks– Waterway: Maintaining navigability of

rivers. Securing river transportation.• Residential Sector:

– Gas metering:•3 million domestic user of gas•Flat rate for gas consumption leading to

gas wastage67

Mitigation Potentials for Bangladesh

• Residential Sector:– Improve cook stoves: ICS increasing

energy efficiency by 20%.– Solar PV

• Industry Sector:– Efficient technologies– Brick kilns: German Hybrid Hoffman

Kiln (HHK) Technology reduces coal consumption by 20-30%

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Fig: saline tolerant variety Boro

Fig: Coastal saline area

Mitigation in Picture

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Solar Panels in Rural Shop

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Solar Powered Street

Lights in Dhaka.

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Thank You

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