Lesson 15-Contrasting coastal landscape beyond the UK- The Sunderbans Case Study

Question 1

Facts about Bangladesh

Answer 1

• 80% of country is low-lying
• 30% live in coastal zones (Bay of Bengal)
• 140, mil populatuion
• Monsoon climate, face storm surges
• Here at the coast features the confluence of 3 main rivers
• Snow melts from Himilayas
• Located East Asia, South of Himilayas and in the coastal zone, bay of bengal

Question 2

Facts about sunderbans
-Local biology/economy

Answer 2

• High biodiversity-decreasing fish populations
• Precense of mangroves-1 million rely on them for rice or water
• Delta that carries sediment to sea
• 15,000 fishermen
• 6th largest shrimp farm in the world
• Environment is degredating due to salty water

Question 3

What are mangroves?

Answer 3

• Trees that grow in slaine conditions
• Great at absorbing energy from storms
• 30 trees per 0.01 hectare and across 100m can reduce the destructive force of a storm surge by 90%
• Roots trap sediment which develops mangroves

Question 4

What processes occur in the sunderbans?

Answer 4

• Tide action
• River Processes
• Storms/wave action

Question 5

Processes occuring here-Tide Action

Answer 5

• The main process is tides meeting a river current forming delta.
• Network of interconnecting rivers that deposit clay and silt as the tidal flow counteracts the river flow. Allow mud flats to develop.
• Extra high tides can cause salinisation of fresh water (more likely with climate change).

Question 6

Processes occuring here-River processes

Answer 6

• Rivers bring sediment, fresh water and erosion
• The Ganges river travels long distances across Bangladesh from the Himalayas this means often has a very large discharges bringing lots of freshwater to the area snowmelt in the Himalayas feeds these rivers.
• This can cause erosion at some times of the year.

Question 7

Processes occuring here-Storms/ Wave action

Answer 7

• During monsoon season large destructive waves erode the islands and wash away the sediment deposits
  -this can erode the Mangroves.
• Waves shape the deposited sediment to form new islands this allows vegetation to establish itself and allow succession to occur eventually forming the mangrove forests which are home to the Bengal tiger.

Question 8

Opportunities in the sunderbans?

Answer 8

• Mangroves
• Biodiversity
• Shrimp farming

Question 9

Opportunities-Mangroves

Answer 9

• Decrease the intensity of storms e.g. a mangrove section of 30 trees per 0.01 hectare and with a width of 100 m can reduce the destructive force of a storm surge by up to 90%
• Habitat for Bengal tigers, saltwater crocodiles, fishing cats, and various dolphin species
• Globally, 4.3% of mangroves are in the Sundarbans
• Deforested 1 hectare provides $12,000 of economic development
• 57,000 wood industry production units with 210,000 employees.

Question 10

Opportunities-Biodiversity

Answer 10

• 260 bird species, the Bengal tiger and other threatened species such as the estuarine crocodile and the Indian python.
• The area is a UNESCO world heritage site due to importance

Question 11

Opportunities- Shrimp Farming

Answer 11

• Bangladesh exported 30,000 tonnes of shrimp worth nearly $350m (£290m)
• More than 275,000 hectares of previous farmland have been flooded, mostly in the south-west, for intensive aquaculture.

Question 12

What causes flooding in the sunderbans?

Answer 12

-Monsoon climate- this brings very heavy rainfall and snow. Soils are leached and heavy rainfall reaches rivers quickly through surface run off
-Spring snow melt –this results a rapid increase in river discharge.
-Deforestation – in areas near the source of the rivers due to increasing population in Nepal, trees are cleared for fuel and for grazing causing less evapotranspiration, more runoff and faster soil erosion.
-80% of Bangladesh is on a floodplain and a delta which is only 1m above sea level.
-Tropical storms frequently hit Bangladesh.

Question 13

What are all the challanges in the sunderbans?

Answer 13

-Overfarming
-Tiger attacks-22.7 people killed every year by tigers
-Diversion of the Ganges River
-Coastal flooding
-Large population
-Monsoon climate
-Snow melt from Himilayas- soil erosion and a rapid increase in river discharge.
-Deforestation
-Tropical storms

Question 14

Challenges- Overfarming

Answer 14

-Saline water from shrimp has ruined farmland
-50% drinking water supplies have been contaminated with saline water
-17,000 ha of mangrove destroyed and used for agriculture in last 30 years
-50% male population moving away to India for jobs in construction

Question 15

Challenges-Diversion of ganges river

Answer 15

• Up to 40% of the dry season flow of the Ganges has been diverted upstream – causes drought

Question 16

Challenges- Coastal flooding

Answer 16

• 80% country is low lying​ only 1m above sea level
• 30% live in coastal zone (Bay of Bengal)

Question 17

Challenges- Monsoon climate

Answer 17

-storm surges from Bay of Bengal
-6 month dry season

Question 18

Challenges- Deforestation

Answer 18

-Near the source of the rivers due to increasing population in Nepal, trees are cleared for fuel and for grazing.
-This causes less evapotranspiration, more runoff and faster soil erosion.​
-This causes rivers to silt up and increases flood risk.

Question 19

Challenges- Tropical storms

Answer 19

-Cyclone Amphan made landfall here in May 2020, parts of the island sat underwater for most of the next 18 months

Question 20

How are the Sunderbands overcoming their challenges?

Answer 20

• Adaption
• Mitigation
• Resiliance

Question 21

How are sunderbans adapting to challanges?

Answer 21

• Building sea walls and embankments
• Bangladesh’s government has committed about $108m (£88m) to fixing the island’s crumbling protective embankments
• USAID trains communities to become resilient 30,000 people have received training on improving farming
• Salt-resistant rice crops – can be submerged for 2 weeks

-$3bn - $8bn is needed by 2030 for adaptation measures

Question 22

How are Sunderbands mitigating challanges?

Answer 22

-Planting Mangrove trees to stop storm surges - 50,000 trees since 2015
- releasing captive pigs add are setting traps for tigers to reduce deaths
- Watertight containers and tanks for rainwater are going to be deployed in the most risk areas
- 3500km embankments build to prevent flooding

Question 23

How are the Sunderbans being resiliant to their challanges?

Answer 23

• 2015 they built 1012 multi purpose cyclone shelters – designed to increase resilience of local population to tropical storms
• Public Health Engineering Department is increasing access to clean water
• Solar panels and electricity installed
• Training in sustainable farming

Question 24

Matched challanges with mitigating responses- Deforestation

Answer 24

Indian NGO nature environment and wildlife SoC are planting trees in the mangroves since 2015 they have planted about 50,000 trees.

Question 25

Matched challanges with mitigating responses- Tiger attacks

Answer 25

- They are reducing the amount of people killed by tigers to three per year last year they are providing prey through releasing captive pigs add are setting traps for tigers

Question 26

Matched challanges with mitigating responses- Tropical storms

Answer 26

- They are keeping the mangrove preserved in order to provide a natural barrier as well as this in 2015 they built 1012 multi purpose cyclone shelters under the national cyclone risk mitigation programme they have also set aside ₹8000 for relief efforts.

Question 27

How is climate change impacting the Sunderbans?

Answer 27

- Increasing Coastal Flooding Risk - Tropical storms increasing in both frequency and intensity - Flooding then drought - Greater fluctuation in sea temperatures

Question 28

Climate change impacts on Sunderbans- Increasing Coastal Flooding Risk

Answer 28

- 2007 10.5 million people at risk, 2017 20 million people at risk - Fresh water supplies becoming contaminated by salt water - 7500 ha of forest been submerged due to sea level rise - Coastline retreating by up to 200m per year

Question 29

Climate change impacts on Sunderbans- Tropical storms increasing in both intesntiy and frequency

Answer 29

- 2007 Cyclone Sidr damaged 40% of mangrove

Question 30

Climate change impacts on the Sunderbans- Flooding then drought

Answer 30

- Snow melt then lack of snow melt in long term due to Himalayan glacial melt

Question 31

Climate change impacts on the Sunderbans- Greater fluctuations in sea temperatures

Answer 31

- This winter’s cold temperatures killed 1,200 of 2,000 crabs - Increased temperature means wont be able to farm shrimp and rice the same - 1.5 degrees increase in sea surface temperature in bay of Bengal

Question 32

Adaptation/Mitigation strategy to combat climate change impact- Increased temperature sea level

Answer 32

- USAID trains communities. 30 000 have received training on improving agricultural techniques. 

Question 33

Adaptation/ Mitigation strategy to combat climate change impact- Number of tropical storms increasing

Answer 33

- Relaunch of the policy to build multi-purpose cyclone shelters with communication equipment and megaphones in primary school facilities. 

Question 34

Adaptation/Mitigation strategy to combat climate change impact- Flooding of sea water contaminating fresh water

Answer 34

- New salt-tolerant rice varieties that can survive being submerged in sea water for over 2 weeks.  - Installing storage tanks for rainwater in areas at most risk from inundation by salt water. 

Question 35

Adaptation/ Mitigation strategy to combat climate change- Floods increasing inseverity

Answer 35

- NGOs are providing education and training at a community level - farmers are being educated to return to ecologically friendly methods of farming

Question 36

Adaptation/ Mitigation strategy to combat climate change- Changes to patterns of seasonal rainfall

Answer 36

- Watertight containers and tanks for rainwater are going to be deployed in the most risk areas

Question 37

Government agreements between India and Bangladesh over ICZM

Answer 37

- In 1972 Bangladesh and India set up the Joint Rivers Commission to manage the 54 common rivers that flow from India to Bangladesh - Attempts will be made to afforest up to 20% of the country - Attempts will be made to increase the amount of protected land by 10% by 2015 - People still can farm shrimp and use mangroves but in a more sustainable way – salt tolerant crops, selective logging - Idea of ICZM is that economic development still occurs but in a better way - A draft treaty for the sharing of the Teesta river was prepared in 2011 but it is yet to be signed.  

Question 38

What were the original aims of the ICZM in Bangladesh?

Answer 38

1) Measures to protect and safeguard the population against natural hazards 2) Protection of the natural environment together with it regeneration where it had suffered deterioration 3) Management of freshwater resources to protect and sustain their provision 4) Improving rural livelihoods and economic prospects along sustainable paths 5) Development of the tourism and fishing sectors of the economy 6) Improving infrastructure and social provision such as health, nutrition, sanitation and education.