Rayhan Ahmed Topader :
Bangladesh is one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to climate change and natural disasters, with over six percent of the population affected by disasters each year. Between 1980 and 2013, the average Bangladeshi was personally affected by two disasters.The primary threats to Bangladesh are floods, droughts, cyclones and sea-level rise due to climate change. Over the last thirty years, Bangladesh has experienced nearly 200 of these climate-related disasters, which have killed thousands of people, destroyed homes and livelihoods and cost the nation around $16 billion in damage and economic losses.The northern districts of the country are highly susceptible to drought, while the southern districts experience heavy rainfall that results in major floods. Both these events have a significant effect on food security for the entire nation. Across all regions and disasters, it is the poor and marginalized, particularly women and girls, who suffer the most. Those living on small offshore islands (chars), indigenous people, and poor communities engaged in climate-sensitive livelihoods, are also acutely affected because when disaster strikes they become even poorer and are forced to move to even more vulnerable areas in search of cheaper living. The national government of Bangladesh, international agencies such as the UN and World Bank, and international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) and local NGOs have been working for decades to prepare for disasters and mitigate the effects of climate change.
However, their ability to voice community priorities for government support, and reduce vulnerability to long term climate change impacts such as salt water intrusion, sea level rise, and extreme and unpredictable weather patterns remains highly questionable,” according to Hasan Mazumdar, Give2Asia’s Field Advisor and The Asia Foundation Country Representative in Bangladesh. To address these issues, international donors have the opportunity to support these communities with grassroots solutions such as adapting farming practices to climate change and educating rural communities on early warning systems, evacuation routes, and shelters already in place. Ravaging the northern and northeastern Bangladesh, the flood now threatens the capital as all the rivers surrounding the city are showing rising trend. The water levels in the Buriganga, Balu, Turag and Shitalakkhya have increased and many areas in the city would get inundated if the rains continued, says the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC). Though the flood situation in the northern districts improved yesterday, it worsened in the central part of the country. Many low-lying areas in Dhaka and its neighbouring districts, including Narayanganj, Munshiganj and Gazipur, have already been flooded, causing sufferings to thousands of people there. The FFWC said floodwater would enter the capital if the water level in the Balu river increased by another 27 centimetres crossing the danger mark. Also Academic activities of institutions, from primary schools to colleges, in more than a dozen districts have been seriously hampered by the floods. According to a preliminary estimate of the directorates of primary and secondary education, the recent flooding damaged around 3,900 educational institutions in the north and north-eastern districts and had affected several lakh students.
Even though the floodwater started receding in most places, many of the affected institutions could not resume classes. A number of them started holding classes of late but had poor show of students.With the early onset of monsoon this year along with heavy spring time rainfall, forecasts were made of floods. Already, five districts are facing the natural predicament with water level dangerously high on Kaptai Lake.The affected districts are: Rangamati, Khagrachari, Sylhet, Sunamganj and Nilphamari. Reportedly, 8 spillways of the Kaptai dam’s 16 were opened to release 4500 cusec of water into the Karnapuli River. Also the road link between Chattogram and Rangamati is snapped due to landslides. On the other side, in Sylhet, about 1 lakh people are stranded in submerged communities. It’s believed that 10 tonnes of rice plus Tk 50,000 as assistance have been allocated for each upazila and while this is laudable, the government from now on needs to take into account the caprices of nature and establish flood relief centres in upazilas which are most vulnerable. These flood shelters should also have reserve food, water and basic medication to treat cuts, bruises and snake bites. The situation in five districts is a reminder of how unpredictable the weather pattern has become. In such a scenario, prolonged monsoon, intense spell of winter or long periods of sweltering summer can be regular features. Therefore, the preparations have to be taken early on. Naturally, crops in vast swathes of land will be devastated, leaving thousands looking for other forms of livelihood. This precarious situation will impact national growth rate and hinder overall rural prosperity.
As an immediate move, roads between Chattogram and Rangamati need to be cleared and following swift assessment of possible landslide areas, people in certain areas removed. The marooned people will be given food through district and upazila level initiatives though it would be prudent to remove people from flooded areas if rain continues. From a different angle, taking the vagaries of nature in mind, Bangladesh needs to focus more on popularizing flood resistant crops, disseminating the right seeds to farmers in flood prone areas. Taking early onset of rain as a sure sign of a lengthy monsoon, local administrations, with the help of development agencies, need to prepare for possible floods. The construction of flood shelters equipped with provisions at low lying upazilas is one plan which can be explored. Development agencies in rural Bangladesh should begin to attach more importance in increasing flood-resilience skill. Exceptionally heavy rainfall in India and Nepal has resulted in extensive flooding on rivers downstream in Bangladesh. Most of the north-western part of the country has been inundated which has implications for some of our project work. Nearly six million people have been affected and 93 people have died. More than half a million houses has been washed away or damaged and 450,000 hectares of cultivable land has been flooded. Flood protection embankments have been breached at several points and crops damaged.1,300 schools and colleges in flood affected areas have been closed and the local administration has prepared a medical response team to tackle the situation.
The water is travelling downstream and the south of Bangladesh is now facing increased water levels and similar problems to the north. Our flood resilience projects in Sirajganj and Gaibandha have been very effective in protecting local communities. Early warning messages were sent to over 13,000 people via mobile phone to alert them to the imminent floods which meant they could evacuate before the water levels rose. Flood-proof houses on raised platforms have withstood the floods, protecting the families that live there as well as providing shelter for other families in the surrounding area that were not so lucky. We have showed communities in Kurigram how to make floating gardens, which will soon be providing much need vegetables Communities in some areas face the regular threat of destructive climatic events. The devastation caused by severe flooding leaves families destitute. It destroys homes, cultivated land, stored food, livestock and even human life. The food shortages that ensue are a further threat, along with the disease ridden stagnant waters that shroud the area. Along with affected communities, Practical Action identify and address the urgent issues. Then appropriate training and technologies are introduced in order for families to dramatically lessen the impact of the inevitable. The FFWC said the flood situation in the northern region would continue to improve as the water levels of the Jamuna, Dharla, Teesta and Dudhkumar rivers were going down.It also said the flood situation at the Meghna basin would improve as the water level of the Surma river was falling.The water level of the Padma was increasing but it was yet to cross the danger level, said the FFWC.
People in the northern and northeastern flood-hit areas, especially those in remote places, continued to suffer due to lack of food and clean drinking water. Climate change has caused many hazards in Bangladesh and is likely to worsen the impact of future disasters, especially hydrometeorological disasters. As mentioned in the introduction, predicted sea level rise by 2050 would cover 17 percent of the country. The effects of climate change and rising seas are already being felt, as many people from poor coastal communities inundate Dhaka and its suburbs after losing land to soil erosion. According to Give2Asia’s field team in Bangladesh, the populations most affected by climate change are women, small marginal farmers, sharecroppers, laborers, urban slum dwellers, indigenous and minority groups and other marginalized groups, such as the disabled. Intrusion of saline water in the fresh water rivers, canals, ponds and paddy fields has been on the rise over the past two decades in the southern coastal areas.
In addition, local shrimp farming brings salt water to the inner lands. The salinity affects water for drinking and cooking, fresh water agriculture and fisheries, forests and other plantations, livestock, and overall livelihoods of people. Extremes of water, whether through scarcity or abundance, have challenged mankind throughout history. Technologically advanced as we are, we still experience catastrophic loses of human life, livelihoods and property as a result of floods and droughts every year. Nevertheless, there is much that can be done to mitigate the effects of floods and droughts; and particularly to help protect the poorest and most vulnerable. Floods and droughts occur within natural cycles. For all the misery they can cause, they can be ecologically important, and even create livelihood opportunities. Farmers can make use of extra water for spate irrigation. Flooded land can create opportunities for fishing. There are perhaps few positive impacts from droughts, but they may play a role in natural disease control and can create demand for water storage infrastructure.
