Case Study of Flooding in an LEDC - Bangladesh (2004)

Question 1

Give and introduction to the case study.

Answer 1

In 2004, the monsoon season in Bangladesh brought more rainfall than usual. From late June through to September the three main rivers (the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna) burst their banks, resulting in wide spread flooding. The 2004 Bangladesh Floods are a good primary example of flooding in an LEDC; exhibiting many physical and human causes, along with massive impacts (social, economic, environmental) and short- and long-term repsonses.

Question 2

What were the physical causes of the flooding?

Answer 2

Physical causes:

• In 2004, the monsoon season brought more rainfall than usual. From late June through to September the three main rivers (the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna) burst their banks, resulting in wide spread flooding
• Bangladesh is a very low lying country, with 70% of its land area being less than 1m above sea level and 80% of it being a floodplain - composed of a very low altitude and low relief
• Bangladesh has a monsoon climate and the annual torrential rains can bring up to 1m per day
• In the spring, melting snow from the Himalayas causes torrents of meltwater to enter the rivers at their source

Global warming? - rise in sea levels - more coastal flooding

Question 3

What were the human causes of the flooding?

Answer 3

Human causes:

• Bangladesh’s population has more than doubled since 1970 (increased roughly by 136%) and so more people live on flood plains and are affected by floods: 1970 - 66.31 million, 2013 - 156.6 million - according to the World Bank
• Rapid deforestation (in the Himalayas) to provide wood for housing and cooking has reduced interception and evapotranspiration, resulting in more water reaching the rivers and at a faster rate
• Deforestation has also increased the soil erosion which has led to large amounts of silt being washed into the rivers and subsequently being deposited on the river bed, reducing its channel capacity
• Banglasdesh is an LEDC with a heavy national debt and is one of the poorest countries in the world, with the average GDP (gross domestic product) per capita standing at around $300. Because of these factors there is little finance available to spend on river management e.g. building and maintaining flood defences.

Question 4

What were the impacts of the floods?

Answer 4

Social Impacts:

• Nationwide, 36 million people (from a total population of 125 million) were made homeless - massive displacement
• By mid-September, the death toll had rose to 800. Many people died as a result of disease because they had no access to clean water
• 800,000 hectares of cropland were ruined impacting massively on farmers as their integral source of income was in a deficit

Economic Impact:

• The value of the damage was assessed as being in the region of $2.2 billion or 4% of the total GDP for 2004

Environmental impacts:

• The floods caused four environmental impacts: river bank erosion, especially on embankment areas close to the main channels; soil erosion; water-logging, particulary in urban areas; and water-contamination, with its associated health risks
• During July and August 2004, approximately 38% of the total land area of the country was flooded, including 800,000 hectares of agriculutral land and the capital city, Dhaka (about 40% of Dhaka was under water)

Question 5

What were the responses?

Answer 5

Short-term reponses:

• The government, working with NGOs (non-governmental organisations) provided emergency relief in the form of rice, clothing, medicines, blankets and towels.
• In July, the UN (United Nations) activated a disaster mangement team in which supplied crictical emergency supplies, conducted a ‘damage and needs assessment’ in the affected areas, and recieved bilateral aid from individual countries.
• People in Bangladesh are resilient, and self-help schemes, in which local people work together to rebuild their properties and lives, are common.

Long-term reponses:

• Following the 2004 floods, additional financial aid was granted for a period of 5 years. This was mainly in the form of a loan from the World Bank, to pay for, in the first instance, repairs to infrastructure, water resource management and education.

More recently, small-scale community-based projects have resulted in lives being saved, unlike the supposed-to-be-long-term reponses put in place by foreign organisations and funded aid - these proved to be inadequate as such schemes paid little attention to the local knowledge of the rivers. Flood shelters and early-warning systems have been successfully put in place.