Aila Project

8/14/2019 Aila Project

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Tragedy in the Himalays and Ganges-

Brahmaputra Plain -Flood, drought, earthquake and cyclone

You Tube:Bangladeshcyclone kills..</AOver 2,200 DieIn BangladeshCyclone -

Bengali Disaster BangladeshCyclone Sidr onMSNBCCyclone Sidr Bangladesaftermath CBSNov. 17, 2007Cyclone Sidr'sDeadly Trail

Bangladesh Nov. 17 2007Cyclone Sidr Bangladesh delivering AID Nov. 17, 2007

Cyclone Sidr Ripped BangladeshDestruction in storm ravaged Bangladesh - 17 Nov 07 - Barisal Climate Change

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Cyclone Aila - May 25, 2009

Tropical Storm Aila struck southern Bangladesh and eastern India on May 27, 2009.The New York Times reported that floods and mudslides killed at least 191 people andleft hundreds of thousands more homeless. As of May 27, the death toll was expectedto rise.

According to the Associated Press, some 2.3 million people were affected by Aila, manyof them stranded in flooded villages. Storm surges in Bangladesh flooded agricultural



areas with salty water. Home to roughly 25,000 residents, the coastal island NijhumDwip was reported to be completely submerged. As of May 27, 2009, many ruralvillages had not yet been reached by relief workers, and the death toll was expected torise significantly as search and rescue efforts continued.

"Millions of people have been affected by the cyclone, with half a million in shelters andanother half a million forced from their homes or were marooned," a disaster controlofficial told the Reuters news agency in Dhaka, the Bangladeshi capital.

Heavy rain triggered by the storm also raised river levels and burst mud embankmentsin the Sundarbans delta in West Bengal. The worst affected area in Bangladesh was theSatkhira district, near the port of Mongla, where a local official said 31 bodies werefound in one village. "The situation here is alarming," Mohammad Abdus Samad, deputycommissioner of Satkhira, told Reuters.

Diarrhoea has broken out in Cyclone Aila-hit coastal areas of Khulna and Satkhira as anacute scarcity of drinking water and food worsened sufferings of thousands. At least twopeople died of diarrhoea in Khulna coast yesterday, and over 100 were attacked withthe disease in coastal areas of the two districts. The situation might turn alarming unlessdrinking water is immediately made available, reports quoting locals said. Meanwhile,unofficial estimates said death toll from the cyclone rose to 175 yesterday (Daily Star,May 30, 2009).

State of persons with disabilities during disaster

10% of the population in Bangladesh are persons with disabilities. They are one of the mostvulnerable groups in any kind of situation, especially in the different stages of the disaster cycle.

Can you imagine the difficulties a person with disability will have while evacuating their homesto a safe shelter? What about the shelter it self, is it accessible for persons with disabilities? thelatrine?

What about the relief mechanism? Can they struggle with others to get relief? What about their assistive devices, we may have hands, legs, we know how much dependent we are on our handsand legs, to the person with disability his / her assistive devices means the same, a wheelchair, atricycle, a pair of crutches or the white cane have the same value. Were these lost during thedisaster?

We need to challenge ourselves, we need to challenge the disaster management system inBangladesh and ensure that the disaster warning, evacuation, rescue, shelter, relief,

reconstruction, every phase of disaster management consider the issue of persons withdisabilities, that disability issues are an integral part of Disaster Risk Reduction in Bangladesh.We are a country well known for Disaster Management, let us be also a country well known for disability inclusive disaster management. (N. Bari, May 30, 2009)

Aila Cyclone Aila cyclone in bangladesh Cyclone Aila batters parts of Bangladesh and India

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Cyclone Hits Bangladesh, November 16, 2007

At least 425 people were killed andthousands injured in 18 districts as thepowerful cyclone Sidr lashed the country'ssouth and south-western regions last night.The terrible tropical storm that packedspeeds of up to 240 kilometres per hour,made landfall in the Barisal-Khulna belt lastnight, flattening tens of thousands of housesand uprooting numerous trees.

"The hurricane crossed the coast at 3:00am

early today (Friday) and was now lying over the southern and central parts of Bangladesh as a land depression thismorning," a latest meteorological officebulletin said. A total blackout gripped thecountry after Thursday midnight as allpower stations tripped under the impact of the hurricane.

More than 100 people were killed and some 300 went missing in the worst-hit Bagerhatdistrict. Besides, hundreds of people were wounded and thousands of houses flattenedin the coastal district, police said.

The Daily Star reorts (Nov. 17,2007):Death tollmay cross 1,000;allcommunications,utility servicessnapped;thousandsmissing; houses,

crops, treesdestroyed; lakhshomeless.Bangladeshdated with anightmare ascyclone Sidr ripped through



the southwestern coast late Thursday, killing over 700 people and demolishing houses,crops, vegetables and trees alike along its trail of devastation over an area of thousandsof square kilometers. Packing winds over 220km an hour, the fierce tropical stormroared across the shoreline after it hit landfall at the Khulna-Barisal coast at 7:30pmThursday, cutting off all communications and utility services across the country.

“I've never seen anything like this in my 47 years life,” Khalilur Rahman, a governmentofficial in Patuakhali, told The Daily Star over telephone last night. “It was a panicbeyond description. People found no way but to keep on screaming as long as thecyclone ran rampage here.” One of the fiercest cyclones in the history of the land, theSidr rode on wailing winds, driving rains and tidal surges to wreak havoc for over 14hours before moving to Asam and Tripura through the Sylhet border, turning into a well-marked low yesterday (Nov. 16, 2007).

Bagerhat's Swarankhola upazila alone reported 200 people missing.

Environmentalists and bio-diversity experts fear immense loss to the Sundarbans andits wildlife, as the brunt of hurricane Sidr was borne by the world's largest mangroveforest. Sidr, with a ferocious wind force of over 220 kilometres per hour (kmph), hit theeastern parts of the forest, especially Chandpai range including Kochikhali, Kotka, Hiron



Point, and Dublarchar, leaving a trailof severe devastation. The uprootedtrees and destroyed houses on theedge of the forest are reminiscent of the devastation brought to the forestby the cyclone of 1988, sourcessaid.

Ruining the beautiful, green landscape, cyclone Sidr has dealt a severe blow to theSundarbans, destroying 1,528 square kilometres of the forest out of around 6,000square kilometres, according to forest officials' primary assessment. Of the devastatedareas totalling about one-fourth of the forest, 1,200 square kilometres are land and therest water bodies.

The officials assess that more than Tk 1,000 crore worth of forest resources have beenlost in addition to another Tk 20 crore in infrastructure damage. Though a chunk of theforest has been completely destroyed carcasses of only one tiger, 38 deer and onemonkey have so far been recovered, officials say. The situation is so bad that theDepartment of Forest is considering not permitting anyone to collect nypah, goran andhoney from the Sundarbans this year (Daily Star, November 30, 2007).

The cyclone killed at least 57 people and injured hundreds in Barguna, state-runBangladesh Television reported, adding that thousands of houses were damaged by thenightlong storm. Further details were not available immediately, as communications withthe district remained cut off. A report from Barisal said casualty figures in Barguna couldrise further.

However, the people who are already 'refugees' environmentally, deserve 'obligedsubsidies' (not perverse ones) from the international communities. For example, the



Sidr-victimsof Bangladesh,

just after emergencyrelief,deserve tohave housesthat usualcyclonescannotdestroy.Bangladeshgovernmentcan at bestpreparecyclone

shelters,cannot affordto buildlivable homesfor everyfamily.UNHCR'sargument“Peopledisplacedthrough

environmental degradation will be able to move within their home country” is right.People surely can move from one place to another but they are at risk becausesometimes they 'are moved by' both natural and social forces. The people whom we call'environmental refugees' have been 'persecuted by the environment' and these mostly'internally displaced peoples' have been driven away or made to flee away by natural,social, economic or the combination of these forces from their homes (Abdus Sattar Molla, November 30, 2007).

There were reports of 90 deaths in Patuakhali, 28 in Jhalakathi, 21 in Barisal, 18 inMadaripur, 21 in Gopalganj, 20 in Shariatpur, 12 in Khulna, 24 in Pirojpur, 13 in Bhola,four in Chandpur, three in Munshiganj, six in Faridpur, four in Satkhira, two inNarayanganj and one in Habiganj and Laxmipur each. Official figures put the death tollat 233 in 19 districts, which exclude Barguna, Pirojpur and Jhalakathi. Acting Secretaryat food and disaster management ministry, Mohammad Ayub Miah, disclosed thecasualty figures at a press briefing at PID conference room this afternoon.



Red Crescent fears tollmay top 10,000 Crisisof drinking water;relief inadequate;diarrhoea, hunger

spreadGovernment's disaster preparedness (warning)may have save some livesbut not livelihoods

Low-lying areas of manycoastal districts were inundated as storm surge whipped by raging winds washed theareas. "It was the worst nightmare of its kind I have ever experienced," a Patuakhalipolice official quoted an elderly man as saying while narrating the nightlong horrors.

Thousands of people were injured in the south and south-western regions and mosthouses there were either fully or partially damaged in the cyclonic storm, one of theworst in the country.

In Bagerhat, road communications with all upazilas, including Swarankhola, Mongla andMorelganj, remained disrupted. What happened to the residents in Dublar Char,including thousands of fishermen, could not be known as local administration failed tocontact them. A coastguard team from Mongla set out for the offshore island in themorning. One trawler, some passenger- and fishing-boats sank in the Mongla portchannel, officials said. A Sundarbans forest official told UNB that the cyclone wreakedhavoc in the mangrove forests at the "first hit". "Our offices were damaged, boatscapsized or washed away," he s

Sidr survivors protest at inadequate relief supply

Several hundred Sidr victims in Barguna staged a silentdemonstration on Wednesday against not getting enough relief for survival. ‘The local government representatives are notgiving us sufficient relief goods,’ was the main complaint of themore than 400 destitute people coming from Khajurtala villageof Gaurichanna union under sadar upazila of the district. Theydemonstrated in front of the Barguna Press Club holdingbanners for hours and asking the authorities for adequatesupply of relief materials to their localities.

The demonstrators, who said they had received only 1.5 kilograms of rice per headsince the cyclone, left the scene at around 1.00pm.

But, when contacted, the deputy commissioner of the district, Altaf Hossain, said therewas no scarcity of relief goods and everyone was getting relief goods that wereadequate for one’s survival. ‘We sent more supplies to the worse affected areas thanthe less affected ones, which may have caused resentment among the residents of the



latter localities,’ Altaf Hossain told New Age.

An elderly resident of Barguna told New Age by phone that he had information that thesupply of relief to many of the affected areas, like Raybhogh and Charakgachhia in Naliunion, was still inadequate. He said nearly 1,000 homes and a market were completelywashed away in Nali, but the survivors had received only 10kg rice per family in the last13 days from the local UP chairman.

The police on Sunday detained 12 people when they were out ondemonstrations seeking relief at Sonarbangla of Gaurichanna inBarguna. Witnesses said about 200 people brought out aprocession in the village, some 6km off the district headquarters,in the morning. Holding banners and festoons, they demanded

food and clothes and marched towards the town before being stopped by the police atKhejurtala, four kilometres off the town.

The police snatched away the banners and festoons and asked the marchers to go tothe office of the deputy commissioner to place their demands. The police led a group of 12 demonstrators, took them to the Barguna police station and detained them, somedemonstrators alleged. A large number of women also joined the demonstrations.

Leaders of various political parties denounced the arrest of 12 people in Barguna oncharge of rallying for food and the remark of the communications adviser, MA Matin, thatthe government would go tough against any such demonstrations and politicisation of relief activities. They told New Age that it was unbecoming of the government to showsuch an attitude towards cyclone victims and suggested that the government should nottake any heavy-handed measures (New Age, December 3, 2007).

The Cyclone Sidr apparentlyheld the real degree of its

destruction in store for thenation until yesterday, four days into the catastrophe, withthe government graduallyraising the death toll to 2,300and Red Crescent fearingcausalities as high as 10,000.

Four days into the hurricane,in Majher Killa, the furthestcorner of Dublarchar and theworst-hit area, still reeling from

the devastation with bodiesbeing recovered; and the needof the moment is water. Eight more bodies were found here and many more are fearedburied deep in the forest.

A man standing there picks up the grains and shows us. "This is what we are left with,"he says. A bad stench assails our noses rice rotten by water mixed with sand. "We can'teat this. If you eat, you will be like him," and he shows a man sitting under a tree looking



lifeless. The man has diarrhoea since last night and is dehydrated by now."Do you have some water? Just a little?" asks a boy. "We don't have any pond left."But just a few feet from him is a big pond full of clear water. "What about that?""No, you can't drink that. It is now sea water." Already a group has formed around us.They look at us with pleading eyes. "Water? Any water? Please!"

"We waited for four days for a trawler to send his body home," Tushar says. Marks of injuries on his chest. "We did not find a single trawler. So we are putting him to resthere." And that is the tragedy of Dublarchar today. The man who would control all thetrawlers could not find a single one left to carry him home.

But then he was lucky, if it could be called "luck" at all. His body was at least identifiedand buried. We find four more bodies, all floating in the canals of the Sundarbans. Onetangled in a net and another stuck to a tree. People are still trawling the ponds in searchof their missing ones. As we walk back from the cyclone shelter, we find a silent columnof people walking behind us. Then they catch up with us. "Please take us with you, justput us on some road, we want to go home," they whisper."Please give us some water, please! Please give us some food! Please! Please!Please!"

We know we have no control over these things. We are just some helpless journalistsgoing from one water marooned place to another, and then to a ship anchored in themiddle of the bay. We start walking faster. We are now fleeing from the haunted island(Daily Star, November 19, 2007).

The Sidr havoc- 'environmental refugees'

Who knows if the last 15th November's devastating hurricane (named Sidr) attack onthe south and south-west of Bangladesh is not at least partially caused by the recentenvironmental changes that are largely a product of human actions? This single havoc

killed about five thousand people (very conservative estimate in contrast to RedCrescent's estimate of 10 thousand deaths), millions of trees, thousands of wild animalsand millions of cultured chickens and prawns. I am not speaking of human dwellings or social institutions.

Why so many people live in the coastal area and in many thatched houses prone todestruction even by a strong wind, let alone such tidal and stormy surge? They are over users of the fisheries and forests there. So there are many funding agencies to 'helpthem with loans', though in payment of high (one said 16% in a BBC interview) rate of interest. Besides, they have no other way; they have been driven away from their parental/self-made homes by river erosion, construction of dam or embankment, or

industrialization and urbanisation in certain areas of the country. These people canperfectly be called 'environmental refugees' a term popularised by Andrew Simmssince 2003.

Number of environmental refugees will surpass the political ones by many folds and itmay prove unmanageable by any single international body. So, preventive measuresare far better. That is, we need to compete with environmental changes through everymeans and we must “get on top of the problems before they get on top of us” as Dr.Myers suggested.



Climate-linked migration may trigger conflict

Climate change poses a big threat to a total of 46 nations and 2.7 billion people puttingthem at high risk of being overwhelmed by armed conflict and war. "A further 56countries face political destabilisation, affecting another 1.2 billion individuals," this starkwarning will be outlined by the peace group International Alert in a report, A Climate of

Conflict, to be released this week.

The report reveals that much of Africa, Asia and South America will suffer outbreaks of war and social disruption as climate change erodes land, raises seas, melts glaciersand increases storms. "Even Europe is at risk." The report states, "A different situationaffects Bangladesh. Here climate-linked migration is already triggering violentconflict."

"Droughts in summer combined with worsening flooding in coastal zones, triggered byincreasingly severe cyclones, are destroying farmland in Bangladesh. Millions havealready migrated to India, causing increasingly serious conflicts that are destined to

worsen." "Climate change will compound the propensity for violent conflict, which in turnwill leave communities poorer and less able to cope with the consequences of climatechange," the report states.

The worst threats involve nations lacking resources and stability to deal with globalwarming, added the agency's secretary-general, Dan Smith. "Holland will be affected byrising sea levels, but no one expects war or strife," he told The Observer in London.

"Holland has the resources and political structure to act effectively. But other countriesthat suffer loss of land and water and be buffeted by increasingly fierce storms will haveno effective government to ensure corrective measures are taken. People will formdefensive groups and battles will break out." Peru's fresh water comes mostly from

glacier melt water. But by 2015 nearly all Peru's glaciers will have been removed byglobal warming and its 27 million people will nearly all lack fresh water. In Africa, riverssuch as the Niger and Monu are key freshwater resources passing through manynations. As droughts worsen and more water is extracted from them conflicts will beinevitable.

In Europe, most countries are currently considered stable enough to cope with globalwarming, apart from the Balkans; wars have left countries such as Serbia andMontenegro politically weakened. As temperatures rise and farmland is reduced,population pressures will trigger violence that authorities will be unable to contain.

Some nations on the risk map, such as Russia, may cause surprise. "Moscow's controlof Russia as a whole will not be undermined by global warming," said Smith. "But lossof farmland in some regions will lead to local rebellions like those already triggered inChechnya."

Conflict triggered by climate change is not a vague threat for coming years, he added."It is already upon us." Source: The New Nation, November 05, 2007).



Climate change induces migration

The International Alert, a group of experts which works for noting the effects of climatechange over the years, has reportedly prepared a report on the subject. Based on dataobtained from forty-six countries, which are threatened frequently from climatic change,the report reveals that heavy rains and flooding of rivers have not only damaged

habitats but also affected the production of the primary sector of the economy. Millionsof people in the affected countries bear the brunt of the destruction of habitats and lossof production.

The report entitled "A climate conflict," may be released this week and made availableto relevant agencies and quarters of the society in countries in Asia, Africa and SouthAmerica. The effects of climate change have already started being felt in manycountries. The erosion of land, melting of glaciers, rises in the sea levels and flooding of rivers and riverine areas have affected the life and living of the people. In countries likeBangladesh droughts in the dry season and flooding in the rainy season haverepeatedly affected production. The people affected adversely migrate from their parental homes to safe zones, including urban areas for survival. The migration of people to neighbouring territories often leads to conflicting situations. The migration of people from environmentally degraded areas to safe zones and neighbouring countrieswould increase in the coming years. Concerned countries try to send back theenvironmental refugees to their countries of origin.

Legal actions taken against the migrants not only affect them but also create tensionsbetween the home countries of migrants and host countries. Millions of migrants in Asia,Africa and South America thus face uncertain future.

Climate change in the world is related to global warming in general and exploitation of natural bounties including water, oil, gas, coal, forests, hills and mountains. The use of

energy for industrial complexes by developed countries has increased. They havestarted updating their technology used for aircraft, ships and industries. The effects of the unrestricted use of energy have started appearing in the form of global warming.The snow in mountains are melting in accelerated rates, water of rivers as well as other natural bounties have already been over-used. As a result, the climatic conditions in theworld continue to turn dangerous for human beings, animals and plants. That being so,use of natural resources has to be made sustainable. The flows of water in major riversshould be preserved. Otherwise, the availability of fresh water may be reduced andpeople in different countries may suffer from different problems including diseases.Environmental migration can be stopped only by slowing the pace of environmentaldegradation with a view to achieving sustainable development in the long run (Source:

The New Nation, November 06, 2007).Environmental migration to escalate tension in South Asia

Bangladesh could face security threats due to climate change, which is likely to trigger environmental migration and cause escalation of tension between neighbours in theyears to come, warns a global report on environmental changes.

The report titled ‘Climate Change as a Security Risk’ says, probable loss of arableand residential lands through flooding in this part of the world will result in increase in



internal and external environmental migration and strain relations between countries.‘The instability in the east of the subcontinent is likely to increase and relationshipsbetween the countries [Bangladesh and India] will come under additional strain,’forecasts the report prepared by the German Advisory Council on Global Change. Theissue is likely to become a security problem since, the report explains, the two sides arenot prepared to engage in political dialogue.

The report, which is yet to be published, warns that by 2020 the economic situation inBangladesh is extremely unstable and the country is embroiled in a major political crisisin that decade. ‘Political elite thwart the spread of democracy; urgently needed reformsare put on the back burner. A broad middle class, which could institute economic andpolitical reforms, is extremely slow to develop,’ reads the report.

The annual costs of the damage caused by natural disasters now amount to almost 15per cent of Bangladesh’s gross domestic product. In 2020, the report mentions,Bangladesh could be one of the countries in which the ‘effects of anthropogenically-induced climate change, floods, drought and coastal erosion are already very clearly

visible’. It says severe floods could overwhelm the capacity of Bangladesh to deal withdisasters and ultimately its capacity to provide food for the population, 60 per cent of which is supported by agriculture.

Already as a result of sea level rise, the coastal regions around the ‘gulf of Bengal’ areconstantly losing valuable residential land, fertile farmland and coastal ecosystems suchas Sundarban. ‘Bangladesh will be particularly severely affected by the effects of climate change,’ the report says citing study findings that production of rice and wheatcould fall by 8 per cent and 32 per cent, respectively, by the middle of the century.

‘It is therefore foreseeable that climate change will overwhelm political structures and

will further exacerbate economic and social problems.’ The climate change will primarilyaffect subsistence farmers and slum dwellers in the mega-cities, the report warnsadding that such a reality, in combination with awareness of increasing social inequalityand inadequate access to social services, will increase the existing susceptibility –arising in part from ethnic and religious tensions – to violently expressed conflict.

In a chapter titled ‘Fictitious confrontation scenario: Disaster management fails’ thereport points out that the cross-border migration also gives rise to diplomatic tensionsbetween Bangladesh and India. ‘The political conflict between the two states escalates;India threatens Bangladesh with ‘humanitarian intervention’ on the pretext that theenvironmental migrants represent a terrorist threat,’ according to this scenario.

It further says that the Ganges delta, which has already been badly damaged by stormfloods, offers little resistance to the destructive power of the winds — something whichhas already been witnessed during the recent cyclone Sidr. However, in another chapter titled ‘Fictitious cooperation scenario: Crisis management succeeds’ the report foreseesgrowing international concern over security situation, especially New Delhi’s reluctanceto enter political dialogue with Dhaka on environmental migration after erection of fencealong 4,000 kilometres of border (New Age, Dec. 24, 2007).



No VGF cards, house building loans for thousands inBholaThousands of poor farmers and fishermen in remote chars of Bhola are passing their days in misery, without any assistance to rebuild houses and vulnerable group feeding

cards, three weeks after cyclone Sidr pounded the south coasts. There are allegationsof irregularities and nepotism by union council chairmen and members in the distributionof the VGF cards and allocation of loans for rebuilding houses in various places of Bhola, especially char areas.

Visits to some chars, about 100 kilometres off the district headquarters, showedthousands of villagers were struggling after losing their livelihood and their homesteads.People of Anjuhat at Charfesson, Char Leolin, Char Sikdar, Char Motahar and Char Manohar — all in the south of the district or in the Bay of Bengal and difficult to reach —came in groups to tell their miseries after the cyclone.

Abdul Mannan, an elderly resident of Char Sikdar, told New Age what he received inrelief was not enough to feed his family. No job is available too, he said (New Age,December 8, 2007).

Acute crisis of drinking water Around 30,000 fishermenat different Sidr-affectedchars adjacent to theSundarbans are facing anacute crisis of drinkingwater as the November 15cyclone left badly pollutedall the four ponds whichused to be the source of potable water for them. Of the four ponds, threelocated at Office Kellar Char, Narikelbariar Char and Sholar Char stillcontain highly

contaminated water with no steps as yet for its purification.

Water in the other pond, at Meher Alir Char, has been purified to some extent with

individual initiative. And several thousand fishermen from nine chars now collect water from this pond every day. Fishermen at these chars have demanded that the authoritiestake immediate steps to clean these ponds as diarhhoea has broken out in differentareas due to crisis of drinkable water. And any delay in this regard might lead to anepidemic, they feared.

Meanwhile, the administration is providing purified water received as US relief at MaronChar. But fishermen hardly take this water following a rumour that it causes diarrhoea.



At Meher Alir Char Thursday morning, it was found that hundreds of fishermen hadalready gathered around the eight acre-pond to collect water.

Many of them had come from places 10 to 22km away by boat. Carrying different kindsof water containers, they were standing in long queues. Dublar Char fishermen led byMajor (retd) Ziauddin Ahmed and his brother Kamaluddin Ahmed looks after the pond.They had taken steps to clean the pond and make its water drinkable.

A number of fishermen from Sholar char came to take water from this pond for around5,000 fishermen at the char, about 30km away. It takes around two hours to come toMeher Alir Char and another two hours to go back.

Maron Char with about 5,000 fishermen living there is about 10km from Meher Alir Char,Majher Kellar Char with about 4,000 fishermen is 4km away while Manik Khalir Char where around 1,000 fishermen now live is 12km away. There are about 4,000 fishermenat Narikelbariar Char which is 22km away, and around 2,000 at Office Kellar Char, 8kmaway from Meher Alir Char.

And they have to depend on water from this pond.

A number of fishermen said they have got relief materials but they are not gettingdrinking water. Ziauddin said, "There is hardly any food crisis at these Islands but crisisof drinking water has turned acute. The government should take immediate measurersto purify water of the ponds to end the crisis.” Unless this done as early as possible,diarrhoeal diseases might spread at different chars, said Ziauddin, who was a sub-sector commander in Sector-9 during the Liberation War (Hasan Jahid Tusher, fromMeher Alir Char, Sundarbans ; December 8, 2007).

The Sundarbans after the Sidr devastation in 2007



The Sundarbans has resuscitated from the Sidr devastation caused about a year ago.The battered forest was a cause for worry for many who thought this world heritage sitemay be lost for ever. There was no harm in thinking like that -- wherever you went in themangrove forest, all you could see is fallen trees and mud. Prospect for tourism lookedbleak.

But the great forest has sprang back to life with its glory of wildlife. And tour companiesare upbeat about revival of the industry. Walk along the Pashur river or go deep into the

forest, as our photographer Syed Zakir Hossain did recently, you find the trees in greenfoliage. And animals scurrying around. The crab eating monkeys diving into the water insearch of snails, an amazing sight indeed. The wild boars with their huge tusks movingaround in packs. The quick-footed deer scampering into the forest at the presence of tourists. The great adjutant stork slowly winging across the creeks. The huge birds justlook fabulous. The greater herons craning their necks to look around at you. Thesquirrel scamper up the tree trunks and wonderful sight of the woodpecker peeling awayat the trees in search of insects. And the Shikra, a bird of prey, wait on a branch lookingfor smaller birds to pounce on. And then if you are lucky, extremely lucky, you will seethe mashed finfoot, an elusive bird. (Z. Hossain, October 28, 2008)

Flood Situation Worsens, August 2007In most major religions, cultures and societies around the world there is a tale about agreat flood. The stories are all slightly different but the moral remains the same, God (or some higher being) is fed up with the people of the world and the ensuing flood isbasically to put them in their place. The most famous story is that of Noah and his arkand that is a story Bangladesh can learn a lot from. When the floods come, pack upyour stuff and head for higher ground, but in the great delta very few places can bedeemed “higher ground”. What we are left with are disasters of biblical proportions,thousands dead and millions homeless.

The stories of Bangladesh's floods are quite unremarkable depending on their severitythey appear every year, and seemingly year after year the nation is left unprepared for them. Why is that the case?It is either gross negligence or a lack of foresight on the part of the government; it isprobably a bit of both.



Teeming monsoon rains haveinundated wide swaths of northernIndia and neighboring Bangladesh,killing at least 166 people andwashing away villages andfarmland that 19 million people

depend on, officials said Thursday. With rain-swollen rivers bursting their banks alongthe fertile plains south of the Himalayas, India sent soldiers to help evacuate peoplefrom some of the worst-hit areas. "I have not seen such flooding in the last 24 years. It's

a sheet of water everywhere," said Santosh Mishra, a resident of the Gonda district inUttar Pradesh, one of the areas soldiers were sent. Authorities urged residents of 65nearby villages to evacuate. "There are no signs of houses, temples or trees," Mishratold the local Sahara Samay television channel. Some 14 million people in India and 5million in Bangladesh were displaced or marooned by the flooding, according togovernment figures, with at least 120 people killed in recent days in India and 46 morein Bangladesh (AP, August 2, 2007).

There are large negative effects of floods on the spatial incidence of poverty. Theseeffects are especially strong in the short term in the immediate aftermath of major floodsthough there also appear to be longer-term negative effects. However, normal flooding is necessary and beneficial for agriculture, transport and fisheries. The probability of

catastrophic flooding in Bangladesh is about once in a decade. Floods can devastatethe physical and social capital of societies and destroy whatever tiny amounts of savings poor households have and when these floods are as frequent and catastrophic as they are in Bangladesh and similar flood basins, the effects can be ruinous.

More areas of the central part of the country, including the eastern side of the capital,are going under floodwater, as the Jamuna, Padma, Meghna and small rivers aroundDhaka continue to swell at most points. More than a third of Bangladesh, a low-lyingdelta of 145 million people, has been inundated by floods. Nearly five million people



have either been marooned or displaced in the country?s hardest-hit northern region.

Many displaced people have taken shelter on embankments, while others have movedonto rooftops of their houses. Residents are using small boats to move around. Thedeluge is feared to cause huge losses to the agriculture and bring water-born diseasesin its wake.

Flood-affected people of Ranigram in Sirajganjdismantle their homes andmove to higher groundsyesterday as the floodsituation in the districtworsens. The floodsituation continued todeteriorate in most flood-affected districts yesterdaywhile scarcity of drinkingwater has become aserious problem for the

marooned people exposing them to various water-borne diseases. Five people,including three children, died by drowning in floodwater in Ullapara and Sadar upazila of Sirajganj yesterday while another child died in Gaibandha.

Many, mostly the poor, people who took shelter on higher lands and flood protectionembankments, are running short of food and have became helpless due to loss of their livelihoods, reports The Daily Star correspondents Hasibur Rahman Bilu and GolamMostafa Jibon from Sirajganj. Women and children are bearing the brunt of this crisis asmany mothers cannot breastfeed their children.

Syeda Begum, 20, one of over 12,000 people whotook shelter on Ranigramembankment in Sirajganj,said she could notbreastfeed her three-month-old boy, as she hadnothing to eat for a day.“We have no food left for tomorrow and we are

drinking impure water asall the tube wells wentunder water," said JosnaBegum, 60, of Khokshabariin Sirajganj Sadar upazila

The flood situations in Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, Gaibandha, Rangpur, Netrakona,Sunamganj, Sylhet and Bogra are unlikely to aggravate and may even start improving



within the next 24 hours. The situations in Jamalpur, Sirajganj, Pabna and Tangail arestill deteriorating and expected to start improving within the next two days.

Floods and poverty are inextricably linked. Over millennia, people have naturallysettled in flood plains and river basins. The nature of river basins is such that their landis highly fertile, perfect for intensive agricultural settlements. Indeed, many sites of

civilisation have grown in river basins.

The Nile in Egypt, the Ganges in India, the Huang He in China, the Mekong in south-east Asia, and, in modern times, the Mississippi of the US are examples. Over time,many of these river basins have developed some of the highest population densities inthe world, with delayed demographic transition consequent to poverty (Wright, 2005)trapping many such countries in the middle phases. With these growing populationdensities, the carrying capacities of the land become strained. Poverty and loweducation levels then become prevalent and poverty, environmental effects and highfertility rates may become locked in a selfperpetuating cycle

The water level of the Padma

continued to rise at all points andwas flowing 122cm and 78cmabove danger levels at Goalundoand Bhagyakul. The river is likelyto swell further in the next 24hours. More areas of Manikganj,Munshiganj, Faridpur, Rajbari,Madaripur, Shariatpur and Dohar and Nawabganj upazilas of Dhakaare likely to be inundated soon.

Small rivers surrounding Dhakaand Narayanganj continued to swell and are likely to approach danger levels in the nextday or two. The Buriganga was flowing 82cm below danger level yesterday. TheMeghna at Bhairab Bazar continued to swell and was flowing 25cm above danger levelyesterday. The Meghna is likely to rise even further inundating more low-lying areas of Narsingdi, Brahmanbaria and Narayanganj.

Breaching all official estimates, the consumer price inflation has reached a new heightat the end of last fiscal year (FY07). Neither the finance ministry nor the central bankhas been able to keep the inflation rate within their target.

There are at least four possible ways in which poor households might be affected more

than non-poor households:



(i) if the numbers of poor households are unusuallyconcentrated in lowlyingflood-prone lands because,for example, land ischeaper, and are unable tomigrate out of the areas dueto social and economicconstraints and costs;

(ii) if poor householdshave some economicincentives to remain in flood-prone areas, such as thepositive effects of non-catastrophic floods on their sources of incomes;

(iii) if catastrophic floods are infrequent and relatively random or unpredictable events

such that poor households living in flood-prone lands may be myopic; and(iv) if such catastrophic floods have inter-generational or longer-term negative effects

from destruction of physical capital assets and human capital of the poor over time.

All four factors can individually and cumulatively lead to the flood-induced spatial or geographic poverty trap referred to earlier, as opposed to non-location specific causesof household poverty.

Although the government has initiated some administrative measures to keep themarket prices within a tolerable level, reality checks revealed that these measures havebeen largely ineffective. Rather, to comply with the international financial institutions like

the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the government in Aprilincreased the prices of four types of fuel oils, pushing up the inflation risks. Interestingly,both the government and the World Bank argued that the increase in oil priceswould not raise the inflation any more. That also proved wrong.



Bhatiali (boatman's)

Songs:

Flood 2007,Bangladesh Millions of marooned peoples aresuffering inBangladesh withoutFood, Drugs andShelter due to

devastating Flood. Your beloved country needs your supportbadly. So be proactive and inspire other to do so. Each individual effort will contribute tothe change of this worst scenario into a better one. ( help, fund, relief, coordination ittadi

required in sirajganj, faridpur in bangladesh. Flood 2007 Monsoon rains flooded about two-thirds of Bangladesh killing nearly 5000

people and destroying farm animals and crops Asian Flood Leaves Millions Displaced in India & Bangladesh Amay Bhasali Re lyric and music by Jasim Uddin - modern version. Mrityu (Death) - by Ichhemoto

Majhi tor Naam Janina

Apar Opar Vange Nodir Singer: Nowshin Bristi Padma Nodi Re

Khola Chokhe

Boats of Bangladesh Variety of Boats of Bangladesh is quite remarkable. Boats are madeon different design according to purpose: Cargo, Passenger, Fishing, racing, etc. DifferentName of Boats : Pansi, Goina, Kosha, Sampan etc

Cinema Padma Nodir Majhi Directed by Goutom Ghosh I Padma Nodir Majhi Padma Nodir Majhi II Padma nadir Majhi III Padma Nodir Majhi IV

Cinema Padma Nodir Majhi Directed by Goutom GhoshBidrohi Padma : Suffer's HopeThis is the fight for Food, for Live, taken from Kaji

Nazrul Islam. The suffer people protest against the exploiter. Bidrohi Bangla Movie CinemaPadma Live Food Kaji Nazrul Islam suffer Exploitation Expliot exploiter

Bidrohi Padma: Rural Love Bidrohi Padma_ Dower Bidrohi Padma:exploiter Plan Bidrohi Padma, Anger of sufferer

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Bidrohi Padma, Fight Bidrohi Padma: Suffer's Sorrow Pirit Kore KanteThis is the fight for Food, for Live, taken from Kaji Nazrul Islam

Bidrohi Padma: Widow's Sorrow Kul Bhanga Nodi - Ferdous Ara Nazrul Geeti

Thousands contract diarrhoea as water starts receding

Flooding started showing signs of improvement as water in major riversreceded on Wednesday, but the supply of relief goods and medicine to combatwaterborne diseases still remain inadequate.

One hundred and ninety-two died in floodingthat began in mid-July. About 10 millionpeople in 38, out of the 64, districts havebeen affected by the flooding, according toofficial records. The records reported 28deaths in districts on Wednesday.

At least 18,301 people suffering fromdiarrhoea were admitted to hospital in theeight days because of a lack of pure drinkingwater, according to health office sources.About 6,500 people have been suffering from

respiratory tract infections and skin and eyediseases for about a week, and 8,441 peoplehave suffered from waterborne diseases tillWednesday. ‘The situation is alarming,’ said

a physician at the largest diarrhoea hospital in Dhaka. About 700 patients were admittedto the hospital on Wednesday. The number of such admissions ranges between 300and 400 on an average a day.

Saima Sultana has got no time to wail over the death of her two daughters. She hasto attend two sons now fighting for life in the ICDDR,B hospital bed.

Flood has shattered the life of Saima and her rickshaw-puller husband, Arifur Rahman.

All happened in just a couple of days. ‘Flood has swallowed one of my daughters todayand the other one died for want of water yesterday. Now I am fighting to save my twosons,’ said Saima from capital’s outskirts Beraid that remained inundated for the last 10days.

Scores of diarrhoea, pneumonia and typhoid patients thronged various hospitals,especially the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh(ICDDR,B) and Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) yesterday compelling theauthorities to engage more doctors and staffs to cope with the situation. ICDDR,B

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authorities said around 600 to 700 diarrhoea patients arecoming to the hospital every day. A large number of children suffering from fever, pneumonia and skindiseases were rushed to DMCH, Sir Salimullah MedicalCollege Hospital, and Dhaka Shishu Hospital yesterday.

A correspondent in Faridpur reports: Over 500 peoplehave been infected with water-borne diseases in thedistrict and the number is climbing. There is a shortageof oral saline in the flood-hit areas. Scarcity of food anddrinking water remains in the remote flood-affected areas(Daily Star, August 10, 2007).

Unprepared for a Predictable Disaster

The truth of the matter is that there is a lack of planning and coordination from thegovernment. Since the floods of the late 80s many studies have been carried out andthe findings of those research initiatives were mixed. They did not fully back

embankments and there was even a mini slogan “live with floods”. What came out of itall was strategic embankments. And for the first time drainage was brought to thelimelight and was to play a major role in saving many areas from floods.” But whilestrategic embankments were the way to go forward the issue of drainage took a backseat. In fact one might even say it was swept under the rug. There was to be an all-encompassing method to save the country from floods and that was hailed asembankments.

With the population exponentially increasing over the past 30 or so years the simple factis that now people live where traditionally floods have taken place. Coupled with that isthe fact that government and business installations have increased round the country

and gone to remote places, even those need to be saved now. The vaccines andmedicines to treat water borne diseases such as cholera, dysentery, typhoid, jaundiceand obviously diarrhoea should be available in stocks in flood prone areas, rather thansending them out there after the floods have started. Sanitation is also a huge problemin rural Bangladesh when the floods roll by. Tube wells are used around the country andwhen the floods come the water comes by and contaminates them. They should beproperly taken care of by taking the tap off and sealing the pipe so as to keep theintegrity of its water safe

200 years ago there was always efficient water management. The British came andhanded down those duties to the landed gentry aka the zamindars and our problemswere created. Since then things have not been the same. What has also not helped in

the massive increase in population, people have now moved into the flood plains to live.If that happens of course they will be affected by the floods. The floods have been goingon since time immemorial the areas that were traditionally flooded the same areas areflooded now, the only problem is that people live there now. Even more interesting isthat before the strain of rice grown could handle floods, now we have all these high yieldvarieties, which cannot take excess water. This causes some of the food shortages. Theproblems are all very simple to understand (Ainun Nishat. August 2007)



Crisis of drinking water

With the flood waters receding, incidence of various types of waterborne diseases is rapidlyincreasing. Each day people afflicted in the lowlying peripheries of the capital city throng

ICDDR,B, the premier centre for treatment of diarrhoea and cholera in the country. On 14August the centre registered the highest number of patients in a day since its establishment 47years ago.

If this is the situation in around the capital cityone can well imagine as to what it would be likein the inundated rural areas of the country. Thegovernment's monitoring cell has identified asmany as 1526 unions and 217 upazilas as being

seriously affected by water-borne diseases.These figures are based on reported cases, sothat the actual magnitude of the incidence maybe bigger.

We are in the dark as to the status of other waterborne diseases like typhoid, hepatitis,viral fever, pneumonia, skin diseases andconjunctivitis. Urgent attention should be given to ensure availability of safe and cleanwater by repairing the cross-leakage between the water supply network and sewer lines. This measure along with free supply of water purification tablets and clean bottledwater should result in drastically reducing the incidence of diseases. In dealing with

diarrhoea, cholera, typhoid, hepatitis we need a steady supply of ORS, IV saline anddifferent kinds of antibiotics respectively. It is not enough to say that the factories areworking overtime and stocks are sufficient, what is more to the point is their timelydistribution to the affected people.

Enough water purification tablets should be available to every household before theflood comes. Understandably, lack of safe drinking water is the main cause of widespread diarrohoea in the flood-affected areas in Bangladesh. Flood in Bangladesh,among other things, is always associated with monsoon rain, and I do not understandwhy the ICDDR,B or the Disaster Management Bureau does not advise the flood-marooned people to store rainwater for drinking and cooking purposes during the crisisperiod lasting hardly one to two weeks. This is probably the safest source of water (after

a couple of minutes of shower) at hand in such a situation. It may be mentioned herethat almost the entire requirement of freshwater for drinking and cooking is met fromstoring rainwater in the Maldives.

Tornado ravages Southern Bangladesh September 21,2006



1,500 still missing in Bay Navy, Coast Guard continue rescue operation;46 bodies recovered so far; tornado ravages 200 houses in HatiaSeptember 21, 2006

Will the missing fishermen come back? Who will answer this question?These apparently lost people were the bread earners of their families.

Hope fades fast for more than a thousand fishermen who have remainedmissing since hundreds of boats and trawlers went under during theviolent storm in the Bay on Tuesday (Sept. 23, 2006, Daily Star). GlobalWarming will displace 2/3 of 140 million population

At least 1,500 fishermen remainedmissing in the Bay for the third dayyesterday while 21 more bodies of storm victims were recovered asthe low turned into a landdepression and moved towards thewest of the country. Meanwhile, atornado ripped through eightvillages at Hatia upazila of Noakhaliyesterday morning, destroyingmore than 200 houses and injuringsome 25 people. Since the heavystorm on Tuesday evening, 46 bodies have been recovered from the coastal areas, saidofficial sources. Different private TV channels reported that at least 73 bodies wererecovered till yesterday evening. The government has yet to take comprehensivemeasures to rescue the missing fishermen. A team of the navy however was searching

for the officer who went missing during the storm. There was no trace of him as of latelast night.

You've set me adriftYou've sunk meThe endless waters have no shoreLimitless, with no shores, the waters have no banksO row with care boatman, my riven boat.



No Advance Warning, the Poor Fishermen Die

No advance warning of Tuesday’s storm bythe meteorologists caused the huge loss of lives and property in the coastal belt wheremost people depend on fishing in the Bay to

earn their living, the disaster managementministry observed on Thursday (21. 09. 06).The ministry of disaster management at anemergency meeting on Thursday expressedits resentment at the weather forecast whichdid not mention any possibility of the suddenstorm (New Age Sept. 22, 2006). Theweather forecast are good for port users but

to ordinary people these are unintelligible. While our disaster preparedness on theground has been a success to a great extent we must gear up the forecasting systemthat will enable us to reduce deaths and destruction caused by such storms. The eight-

hour gap between weather bulletins will have to be reduced to a maximum of threehours. It is our belief that given the current global awareness on natural disastersfollowing the massive loss of life and widespread destruction caused by Tsunami,international assistance could be easily forthcoming in modernising our weather andstorm warning systems.People devastated by Tuesday’s storm inthe coastal region came down heavily onthe weathermen for ‘wrong reading of thesharp change in weather.’ Wajed Ali, 60,in the fishing trade from the time he wasin his twenties, held the weather officeresponsible for the huge loss of lives and

property along the coast. ‘On severaloccasions, I went fishing in deep sea withSignal 3 or 4 flagged. People in the coastdo not bother about lower signals and work as usual in such conditions.’ ‘But Tuesday’ssituation could in no way be flagged with Signal 3. It should be at least Signal 9 or 10.The reading was absolutely wrong,’ the fisherman said.‘I heard the news of Signal 3 in the afternoon and it was the same at night. The windspeed intensified at about 9:00pm. And in an hour, the landscape in the chars changed.’‘I have been living on the coast for 30 years and faced Signal 10 several times. Butnone of the situations was as horrific as was Tuesday’s,’ he(fisherman Zainul) said. ‘Inever saw waves 15 to 20 feet high.’

While any serious official attempt to rescue fishermen caught in Tuesday’s devastatingstorm was too rare to find, an eight-strong group of fishermen freed at least 50 of their fellows from the clutch of the hungry seas. The eight fishermen led by Abdul Jalil aboardFB Nazma saved others putting their own lives at stake, hauling them on board from theraging waters. On the darkest night of their life, the sudden change of weather scaredthe hell out of the eight fishermen on the fishing boat and they started a frantic return

journey towards the shore about 50 kilometres away. Within seconds, the sea became



even more riotous with mountainous waves and heavy downpours blinding them so thatthey could not see even their own bodies. ‘I’ve never seen such darkness. I could notsee even my hands,’ Jalil described.He said although they were trying to steer the boat towards the shore but it was toughfor him to determine in which direction the coast lied (New Age, September 25, 2006).

The AL (Opposition Party) president demanded formation of a parliamentary committeeto investigate why fishermen were not alerted by the weathermen and why locals werenot evacuated before the storm struck.

Asma did not get promised Eid Sari

Eid is the festival, when everyone get a new cloth. Themost circulated Daily Newspaper "Ittefaqque" writes today(18.10. 06) from Kalapara, Patukhali that Noor Hawlader along with 70 fishermen did not return since September 17, 2006. Asmas father promised to buy a sari after hisreturn. Asma and others in the village have fallen in a grief.

Still this village looks towards that villageQuitely trying to hear.Sitting so still, the word so softly ....... Over the field weeps the kolmi creeper The lonely pea-flower weep.Jasim Uddin The field of the embroidered quilt

LOWLANDS FLOODED IN RAJSHAHIHeavy rains throughout the day flooded many low-lying areas of Rajshahi,Chapainawabganj, Naogaon and Natore districts. Due to a sharp rise in the water level

in the Padma, a 17-kilometre stretch of the Padma Dam between Godagari andCharghat upazilas of Rajshahi was at the risk of being split open. The authorities havebeen dumping stone blocks and sandbags at vulnerable points to resist the surgingwater. Lowlands in 25 unions across six upazilas of Rajshahi and Chapainawabganjdistricts have gone under water.

Environmental Destruction

Masuma's home is a bamboo and polythene shack in one of the hundreds of slumscolonising every square metre of unbuilt land in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.Masuma is an environmental refugee, fleeing from the floods which have always besether homeland but which are predicted to strike more severely with climate change. She

has found her way to the city from the rural district of Bogra - a low-lying area originallyformed from Himalayan silt where the landscape is still being shaped by the mightyBrahmaputra river as it snakes and carves through the soft sandy soil. "In Bogra we hada straw-made house that was nice. When the flood came there was a big sucking of water and everything went down," Masuma says. "Water was rising in the house and mysister left her baby upon the bed. When she came back in, the baby was gone. Thebaby had been washed away and later on we found the body," she recalls.

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Sir Nicholas' approach is criticised by some economistswho argue that as climate change is beyond humancontrol we should continue to maximise economic growthso we will be able to afford to pay for adaptation in thefuture. In a recent article for the Spectator magazine,former chancellor Lord Lawson argued: "Far and away themost cost-effective policy for the world to adopt is toidentify the most harmful consequences that may flowfrom global warming and, if they start to occur, to takeaction to counter them." (BBC, September, 2006)

Climate fears for Bangladesh's future

Java tsunami toll at 550

An aftershock in Indonesia’s tsunami-ravaged region sent hundreds scrambling for high ground on Wednesday as the toll fromMonday’s disaster climbed to 550. Rescuerspulled bodies from the debris and aid trickledinto worst-hit Pangandaran town while asearch continued for about 275 people stillmissing after the tsunami smashed into a300-km (185 mile) stretch of coast alongsouthern Java. Indonesian media questionedwhy there was no warning ahead of

Monday’s killer waves despite regional efforts to set up early alert systems after themassive Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004.The Jakarta Post said in an editorial the disaster agency had done ‘nothing of note toincrease people’s preparedness for disasters’ . Government officials said as many as

54,000 people were displaced from wrecked fishing villages, farms and beach resorts,adding to the rehabilitation headache for authorities after an earthquake that killed morethan 5,700 people in central Java less than two months earlier. (Reuters, Pangandaran,Indonesia , July 20, 2006).

CONTENT

1. INTRODUCTION

2. FLOODS

2.1. North East India2. 2. Floods in the Mekong basin, Himachal, Nepal

2. 3. Bangladesh- 2004

2.3.1. 20 million people in Bangladesh have been left homeless2.3.2. Mass migration to slums of Dhaka

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2.3.3 Waterborne Diseases2. 3. 4. North East Bangladesh2. 3. 5. Flood in Southern Coastal Districts2. 3. 6. Trading on Human Misery2. 4. Causes of Devastating Floods2. 4. 1. Rapid Economic Development and Urbanisation

3. DESERTIFICATION and DROUGHT4. WARN OF A GREAT HIMALAYAN QUAKE

5. TROPICAL CYCLONE

The floods today in 2004, therefore, are both a product of the flood control projects and also a good reason to prepare more projects in similar line. With the money taken from people's pocket, the flow of water is blocked, rivers are destroyed, the overflow of water become disastrous, water-logging become

permanent, and the results are all around us.

1.IntroductionThe Ganges-Brahmaputra- Meghna Delta Plain, the largest in theworld, inhabited by a tenth of the population on our planet, isleading to a major catastrophe caused by deforestation,construction of dams, embankments, agrochemical, uncontrolleddischarge of untreated municipal and industrial wastes etc. Manyprohibited pollutants are directed to river waters.

The Himalayan rivers contribute one-third of the global sediment transport to the world oceans

(Millman et al., 1983). Since millions of years the Bengalbasin received millions of flood that created this land to thepresent form. With the birth of the modern HimalayanMountains about 35 million years ago the mighty riversdrained along paleoslopes and deposited about 16-18kilometres of thick sediments in Bangladesh. Presentrelative plate motion between the Indian plate and the Asian plate is apparently in anorth-east-south-west direction at a rate of convergence of between 5 and 6 cm per year, also plays an important role in channel migration, erosion, deposition andoverflooding in Bangladesh. Major changes in flow patterns of the main rivers arebasically related to tectonic evolution of the sub-continent. In the past, the Ganges andBrahmaputra have changed their courses several times.

Deforestation and soil erosion have already taken a savage toll of lives in the Indiansubcontinent. As the slopes of Himalayas are cleared for habitation and agriculture,severe flooding is increasing throughout northern India, Nepal, Pakistan, andBangladesh. These countries experience almost every year both severe flooding andsubsequently drought. Deforestation in the Himalayas has been responsible for theflood disaster in the lower reaches of the Ganges-Brahmaputra and the higher






































































incidence of flooding that has occurred since 1940; apparently flooding now affectssome 18 x 106 ha of land as compared with 6 x 106 ha in the early 1950s

A large-scale irrigation system does simplify habitat resulting in an immediate reductionin the number and species complexity of both plants and animals. With the abolish of original trees and shrubs, shaded habitats are replaced by those exposed to sunlight.

The shaded habitats are replaced by those exposed to sunlight. Simplification of thehabitat results in the loss of plant groupings and zonation and their replacement by asharp transition between the crop and field boundary. Irrigation schemes directlyincrease the acreage of above-ground water beyond the main impoundment. Suchirrigation scheme is responsible for supporting large mosquito populations capable of transmitting disease agents.

Environmentally unplanned embankments all over Bangladesh, India have created more harm rather thangiving protection during flooding. It may be mentioned thatafter each flood record crop-yield was registered inBangladesh.

The flood prevention on the other hand shows a degradingquality of crops production. It is known in industrial countries that the quality of food isseriously degraded due to the use of agrochemical. Now 80 million and 20 millionpopulation of Bangladesh and India are poisoned by ground warter arseniccontamination.

Terrestrialization of the semi-aquatic landscape of Bangladesh has the principalobjective of intensification of agriculture to satisfy the "need" for foodgrain self-sufficiency. Yet as the human population becomes increasingly marginialized andlandless, the survival strategies of those at the bottom have increasingly fallen backupon the remaining physical and biological diversity of regional ecosystem.... In so far as the poorest of the rural poor continue to eke out these (precious) livelihoods... bio-

diversity reducing hydrological manipulations will make some human lives all the moreprecarious..... The loss of habitats has been so significant that little can now be done torestore the balance in the areas.

From flood to scarcity of water: re-defining the water debate

The issue is not just of water quantity, but of water quality and socio-economic conditions of stakeholders. It is this more complex, subtle concept of scarcity that is the basis of the analysis of the situation in rural Bangladesh. It does not have the simple attractiveness or dramatic impact of many of the more conventionally used measures, but it does have one over-riding advantage: it provides a basis for understanding local-level reality that conventional measures do not.

A recent study found that scarcity not excess of monsoon floodwaters appeared to be the primaryconcern of the majority of livelihood groups. Scarcity of floodwaters is impacting on livelihood inmultiple ways that include:

a reduction in soil fertility due to lack of silt being deposited on their fields that replenish thesoil nutrients

a decline in the amounts of fish fry, fingerlings and fish reaching the tributaries and floodplain



from the permanent water bodies where breeding takes place leading to a major decline in openwater fish catches

low water levels in the rivers and canals cause problems in relation to the bathing of humansand livestock, and hamper farming practices such as the retting down of jute

a drop in the watertable means women now find it increasingly difficult to pump water out

with handpumps towards the end of the dry season

A need to re-think the prevalent paradigm in Bangladesh from how to cope with too much water in monsoon (i.e., flood) to how to cope with lack of water in future (Chadwick, M.; Soussan, J.G.;Alam, S.S.; Mallick, D., 1997).

Bangladesh also suffered flooding during 1998 as two months of rain inundated two-thirds of the country. Officials have said the death toll from more than two months of flooding passed 1,000 and could keep rising if a looming diarrhea epidemic is notcontained. Diarrhea, caused by polluted water or rotten food, accounted for 227 of the1,040 deaths caused by the disaster, the worst flooding in Bangladesh's history, officials

said. Other deaths were caused by drowning, snakebites, collapsing houses andmudslides, disaster management officials said. The floods have destroyed crops worth$300 million and damaged close to 10,000 km (6,200 miles) of roads.

Flooding is a natural phenomena that will always occur on a regular basis and it is partof the cycle of a river.

No matter what protection techniques are used floods will always cause damage and,with the increase of urban areas on the flood plain, more people are within the floodprone areas of the world. It is also important that with all the techniques that engineershave developed that people do not feel complacent and the river has been tamed andthey are safe as this is not the case.

Another devastating flood may follow: Experts

NEW DELHI, Aug 4:–As international aid organizations accelerate relief efforts to help millionsof people stalked by hunger and disease in flood ravaged Bangladesh, they warn that the countryis hovering on the brink of another devastating flood ,writes Rahul Verma of One World SouthAsia With life virtually grinding to a standstill as the country faces its worst flood in the past sixyears, experts caution that the worst is not yet over. The United Nations organization, World FoodProgramme (WFP), fears Bangladesh may face a "cataclysmic" flood in mid-August, when thealready-waterlogged region will fail to drain the next bout of monsoon rains.

"We have to be vigilant," says the WFP Country Representative in Dhaka, Douglas CassonCoutts. "What we have seen so far is as bad as any floods in Bangladesh have been. But there may be worse to come, and we need to be ready," he says. The New York-based UN Children's Fund(UNICEF ) says sewerage systems in cities including the Bangladesh capital, Dhaka, havecollapsed. About 1.5 million people - including children - are camping in refugee shelters.

Among the diseases stalking an estimated 25 million people affected by the floods are an acuterespiratory infection, diarrhea, watery dysentery, jaundice, typhoid and scabies. Worldorganizations stress that Bangladesh is exposed to epidemics because of filthy water. Reports say



emergency medical teams from Bangladesh and neighboring India are treating thousands of people in Dhaka who fell ill after drinking contaminated water.

The July floods have ruined food stocks and, as WFP points out, removed sources of nutrition and

income. A statement issued by the organization stresses that fish and poultry farms have beenflooded. There is a distress sale of livestock as there is no fodder available for the animals.

The UN body stresses that it is concerned about food security in Bangladesh. "Even though people in Bangladesh are used to grappling with flood damage every year, they will need a lot of help this year in recovering their household stability and preparing for the next planting season,"Coutts says. "The international community must not forget about the enormous problems hereafter the disaster images fade from the TV screen."(Bangladesh Observer, August 5, 2004).

New Flood, September 2004

Only a couple of weeks since Dhakaites recovered from aprolonged flood, another rain-borne flood hit Dhaka onSeptember 13. The three-day long heavy shower causedserious waterlogging in the city, yet again. For three days,life came to a virtual standstill. People were forced intoself-imprisonment, business came to a halt, and acute crisis of drinking water made lifeunbearable. Waterlogging, once thought to be a problem only for a few low-lying areasin Dhaka, has suddenly threatened to become a regular event in the rainy season.Could this waterlogging have been avoided? What can we do to protect Dhaka fromgetting waterlogged in the future ?, (Daily Star, September 24, 2004).

The worst is not yet over as thousands of flood victims could die of disease unless

urgent precautions are taken, relief workers from the World Health Organisation andother bodies warned yesterday. Health experts repeated their cautions against anepidemic outbreak in the deluge-ravaged areas, while an official with the UnitedNations, asking not to be named, told official news agency BSS (August 5, 2004): "Thesituation is quickly heading towards the worst and it may go beyond control."

Dhaka-Narayanganj-Demra (DND) Embankment - PermanentWaterlogging

A large swath of the area inside the Dhaka-Narayanganj-Demra (DND) embankmentfaces permanent waterlogging because of unplanned urbanisation at the cost of proper drainage system. Fifteen days after the heavy rains that left the area reeling under four to five feet of water, many low-lying areas are still waterlogged. Water and Sewerage

Authority (WASA) officials fear stagnant water might become a permanent feature of these localities.

Residents of Konapara, Basherpool and Dholla do not have to wade through loggedwater now, but East Boxnagar, South Boxnagar and several low-lying areas such asBank Colony, Hajinagar, Barabangha, Dogaior and southern part of Matuail of Demraare still under knee-deep water. Moreover, Shanarpar, Nemaikashari, Bagmara,Kadaltali, Rasulbagh, Jalkuri, Bhuigarh, Delpara, Lamapara, Tusharpara, Pathantali,



Godhnail and Kadamtali of Siddirganj thana in Narayanganj district are alsowaterlogged.

The DND dam area goes under water every monsoon because of near absent drainagesystem, but this time around the situation became really bad because of record rainfallbetween September 12 and 15 (Dqaily Star, October 6, 2004)..

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2.Floods

The UN says more than two-thirds of the country (Bangladesh) is underwater and is

warning of a humanitarian crisis. (BBC, 28. 07. 04)

Normal floods are considered a blessing for Bangladesh-providing vital moisture andfertility to the soil through the alluvial silt deposition. Only abnormal floods areconsidered disastrous, i.e., the high-magnitude events that inundate large areas, andcause widespread damage to crops and properties. During the peak flow season (July,August and September), most of the rivers overflow their banks, and deposit silt on theflood plains - providing vital moisture and fertility to the soil. Thus, the normal floods areconsidered a blessing for Bangladesh.

Flooding in Bangladesh is a regular occurrence; about 26,000 sq. km or 18 per cent of the country is flooded every year by monsoon rains. But Bangladesh faced severefloods in 1954, 1955, 1956, 1962, 1964, 1966, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1985,1987, 1988, and 1993. The severe 1988 floods were generated by intensive rainfall thatextended over North and North East Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Bhutan, the mostintense local concentrations being in Assam, Meghalaya, Bhutan and ArunachalPradesh. The Ganges and the Brahmaputra rivers drain an area inhabited by 500million people. A tenth of the population of our planet faced the catastrophic events of 1987 and 1988 floods which led to widespread destruction, misery and loss of life. Theflood in 1988 affected nearly half of the population and over 60 per cent of the netcultivable land. A joint UN/Government of Bangladesh has estimated the cost of "Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Programme" at U.S. dollars 1.1 billion. It is estimatedthat the food grain loss was about two million MT compared to annual food grainproduction in a normal year of over 12 million MT.

Flood is more or less a recurring phenomenon in Bangladesh, and often within tolerablelimits. Occasionally, it becomes devastating. In 1997, 1988, 1998, and 2000,Bangladesh faced unprecedented floods, causing massive loss of life and property

During the peak flow season (July - September) most of the rivers normally overflowtheir banks onto the low-lying surrounding flat land, which is essential for providing vitalmoisture and fertility to the soil. However, occasionally abnormal conditions lead todrainage congestion, excessive rainfall run-off, and storm-tidal surges that induce high-





magnitude flooding that inundates large areas, and causes widespread damage tocrops and property.

The mean annual rainfall in Bangladesh varies from about 1400 mm. in the western partof the country, to almost 5000 mm. in the northeast region. There are wide seasonalfluctuations, with about 90 per cent of the rainfall occurring during the four months of the

monsoon period (June- September).Back to Content

2.1. North East IndiaMassive flooding brought new death and disruption to northeastIndia yesterday and also threatened a national park famous for itsrare one-horned rhinoceros population (July 14, 2004).

This is the worst flooding in recent memory with 22 of the 24districts in Assam under floodwater," Assam Chief Minister TarunGogoi told AFP. "The high water current has washed away rowsand rows of villages. The condition of the people is reallydevastating." About 3.7 million people have been displaced withan estimated 3,200 villages under water, a flood control officialsaid.

The Brahmaputra River which criss-crosses the state was flowing at least 1.5 to 2.6meters (5.00-8.25 feet) above the danger level. Several parts of the state remained cutoff as floodwaters swamped highways and created craters. Hundreds of thousands of people were taking shelter on raised bamboo stilts and on mud embankments, withsome trapped on rooftops of their mud-and-straw huts.

"A vast stretch of the Kaziranga National Park has come under floodwater and in someareas the water level rose to about five feet (1.5 metres)," H.K. Bhuyan, a park ranger,

told AFP.The 430-square-kilometre (266-square-mile) park east of Assam's principal city of Guwahati is home to the world's largest concentration of one-horned rhinoceros.There are an estimated 1,600 rhinos at Kaziranga out of a total world population of some 2,300."Herds of elephants, deer, wild buffaloes and rhinos from the park are migrating to anadjoining hill for safety," another park official said. Some 70 animals, including rhinosand wild buffaloes, were drowned by flooding in the sanctuary last year.

Monsoon is here with all its devastating effect. Flood waters are overrunning all major habitats in adjoining Assam and the north of Bangladesh. It is indeed, ironic, thatBangladesh and India are continuing a long feud over the distribution of fresh water

when it causes so much damage to both, annually. The argument for India is that theeastern part of the subcontinent and the monsoon is water-surplus while the west andthe rest of the year is short of it. There is very little that can be done about nature’s waysexcept perhaps holding back the rain water which has been a part of culture in thewestern part of the subcontinent for centuries

Drinking water

In the north-eastern Indian state of Assam, all but one of 27 districts are battling thefloods, and over 100 people have died, officials say. Millions are homeless and crops,





homes and roads have all suffered huge damage.

The BBC's Subir Bhaumik, who is in the state, says the air force has been airliftingsupplies of fresh drinking water."We will sleep in the open, we will do everything on the road but if we don't havedrinking water, we will perish," one woman told him.

Bihar state has also been badly hit - the authorities say 225 people have died in heavyrains this month (BBC, July 23, 2004).

Millions of people have been badly affected and essential supplies are running low."There is an acute scarcity of baby food and over 500,000 babies affected during thefloods are starving," Assam Health Minister Bhumidhar Burman said (BBC, 27. 07. 04).

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2. 2. Floods in the Mekong basinThe latest floods in the Mekong basin - said to be the worst in decades - have been

blamed on logging in Tibet that has left vast swaths of the Chinese-controlled regiondenuded of forest cover.

The tragedy echoes devastating floods on the Yangtse in 1998 that prompted theGovernment to introduce limits on logging in the river's upper reaches. Indiscriminatetree-felling destabilises topsoil, which is washed by rain into rivers, raising the water level and diminishing the rivers' ability to absorb annual rains.

"Projects to build dams and reservoirs to harness Tibet's rivers for hydro-electricityschemes to power western China have caused fragmentation of ecology and fishspecies and finally extinction to already endangered plant and aquatic species," thereport says.

Himachal PradeshMore than 100 people were reported to have died in flash floods in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh earlier this week. The River Sutlej, which runs through the state, wasreported to have risen to more than 40 feet above its normal level in some places.Dozens of bridges were washed away, leaving villages stranded.

The local authorities have asked the central government for a grant of about $200m. Ithas approved less than a quarter of the amount. The Sutlej river , which normally runsin a deep gorge, overflowed in a matter of minutes.

Deforestation in Tibet

Nepal

In Nepal, the authorities say more than 100 people are feareddead following torrential monsoon rain and landslides over thepast two months. The Nepalese Home Minister, Govinda RajJoshi, said more than 100 people are missing as a result of the floods, and most of these are feared to have died.

Thousands of others have been displaced, and hundreds of hectares of farm land has been washed away. The damage


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caused by this year's monsoon rains has been more severe than in previous years.

Environmentalists say deforestation in hill areas is the one of main causes of floodingthroughout the South Asia region.

The Flora and Vegetation of Nepal

Rainforest Destruction from Himalayas to Coastal AreasBack to Content

2. 3. Bangladesh- 2004

The flooding inundated 40 of the 64 districts and left about 30 million people homeless or cut off. The costof the damage to property and infrastructure was put at 6.6 billion dollars. As many as 2,59,938 peopletook refuge in 227 temporary shelters in the capital (Daily Star, August 2, 2004).

Monsoon flooding triggered by days of torrential rains and raging torrents cascadingdown hills across the border marooned several lakh people, displaced many more anddestroyed crops in the fields in 15 districts yesterday.

At least three people including a girl drowned in floodwaters in Sherpur, Bhola andSirajganj and fierce-flowing rivers ate metres into their banks in the northern,northeastern and southern districts, making thousands of people homeless. A man was

missing after a boat capsize in Sylhet.The meager relief the flood hit people so far received was mostly distributed by somesocial service oriented and private organisations. Government's share in the relief operation is very negligible, as its coordination and monitoring activity have totallybroken down at the field level (The Bangladesh Observer, 30 July, 2004).

The prices of food items and vegetables have already been sources in the hats andbazars of the district The low-income groups of people have been worst hit by theupward swing in the prices of daily necessities of life.

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2.3.1. 20 million people in Bangladesh have been lefthomeless:

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Residents of the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka are trying to build up defencesagainst rising floodwaters which have already covered 40% of the city. Nearlythree-quarters of the country is under water, and more than 200 people arereported to have died. Across the whole of South Asia, more than 550 peoplehave been killed as a result of monsoon flooding since June. Although the

Ganges and Meghna rivers have begun to recede upstream in India, forecasts predict heavy rain to come. At least 20 million people in Bangladesh have been left homeless.

Janu Begum could not sleep for the last two days, as she was hungry. "I do not worry much about me but my children," she said. Janu who lived in a slum in Mugda took shelter in a government school in Motijheel with 500 others after floodwaters submerged her shanty.She tried to stay the last minute out in her shanty enduring all woes but left when one of her children drowned in floodwaters at the dead of night.

"When I heard some schools were opened as shelters for flood victims, I thought I can save myother children. But now I think they will starve to death," Janu sobbed.

Most flood victims have similar stories to tell. The number of flood victims is rising every day,crowding the flood shelters. Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) opened 206 shelters where at least1,50,724 people took refuge (Sabrina Karim Murshed, 28 July, 2004).

Women suffer more than men during flood

Stinking water

The slums on the capital's low-lying land have been inundated for days with black and stinkingwater from overflowing drains. Several thousand people have gone to hospital suffering fromdiarrhoea. Some people have pitched makeshift shelters on pavements after being forced out of their homes.(BBC, 25 July, 2004)

More than two million city residents are in acute drinking water crisis as supply hasbecome contaminated with 30 water pumps of Dhaka Water and Sewerage Authority(Wasa) already inundated by rising floodwater. Water pipelines stretching over a fewhundred kilometres and many reservoirs have also gone under water, posing a seriousthreat to public health. According to media reports, floods have already affected morethan 50 lakh people or half the total city population. People in 18 thanas of 22 arealready marooned (Daily Star, 26. 07. 04).

Kabir (1997) describes in Dhaka Courier:We wonder whether Dhaka is the dirtiest, most mismanaged and polluted capitalcity of the world. It appears that there is no law and order, no discipline and decency in

the public roads.. Dhaka is a city of melancholy contrast wherein a few people live andwork in air-conditioned houses and offices, travel by expensive cars of latest model,hold meetings and seminars and have feast and festivals at luxurious hotels andmajority of the people live in slums and pass their lives in absolutely poverty deprived of even basic civic amenities like water supply, sanitation and electricity...

But now it is undesbribable. Agriculture accounts for about 40 per cent of Bangladesh'sGDP and about 60 per cent of employment. Landless small farmers and as well asurban informal groups constitute 50 per cent of Bangladesh's population. Fifty three per

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cent of rural population are virtually landless and the result of that a very largepercentage of urban population live in slums. The population of Dhaka city increased byseveral hundred per cent in three decades (1974-2003) due to the increasingdevelopments of landless peasants and no job in rural areas.

A joint donor-government assessment yesterday put the floods damage at Tk 13,000

crore or $ 2 billion, apparently putting to rest a controversy over the damage estimate.The assessment mission led by the World Bank (WB) and the Asian Development Bank(ADB) submitted the draft report at a pre-wrap-up meeting of the mission at thePlanning Commission yesterday. Finance Minister M Saifur Rahman presided over themeeting. The joint assessment has apparently put to rest a controversy over flood lossestimate by various organisations. The UNDP first came up with an astronomicaldamage figure of Tk 40,000 crore or about $7 billion, a figure that was also supportedby the government. But an independent think-tank, the Centre for Policy Dialogue(CPD) estimated the loss at between $1.9 and $2.5 billion (Daily Star, September 26,2004).

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The ordeal of a water-logged cityNo alleviation measures in sight

Why the city roads go under knee-deepwater even after a moderate rainfallremains an annoying question in theminds of the citizens. The water-logging inthe main thoroughfares disrupts normallife with vehicles and pedestrians gettingstranded for hours. The alreadyheightened traffic congestion is rendered

intolerably worse.

The media has been crying hoarse in a bid to draw the attention of the city fathers to theproblem but the latter's apathy only adds insult to the injury. The way water-logging hasexacerbated in the city year after year would have provided sufficient ground for citizens' groups elsewhere to press public demands for an early solution to the problemor face condemnation. Unfortunately, no political party talks of the problem, they beingdistracted by high sounding political issues.

Why do city roads suffer from water-logging after a little rain? To quote some officials of the Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority, it was only slightly over 85 millimeters

of rainfall on last Saturday, but that is not enough to flood the roads the way it did. So,what went wrong? The answer lies in the encroachment and filling up of the naturaldrainage sources like the numerous canals that crisscrossed the city once, and themoribund condition of the underground and surface drainage systems. While last year there was much ado about reclaiming some of those canals from the hands of theencroachers, the Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) suddenly stopped the drive.

The water-logging problem has to be addressed on both a short-term and long-termbasis. What is imperative at the moment is to set up a taskforce during the rainy months





whose job it will be to arrange for contingency pumping of water out to a safer zone andbrick-soling the pot-holed roads so that transports can move unstuck on them. Theauthorities will also have to make the storm sewers operational through removing allmaterials that clog these outlets.

On the long-term side, we need to make the moribund canals within the city area and onits periphery operational. Secondly, the encroachments on the river banks must beremoved so that the excess water can find its way into the larger rivers.

Unless the challenge is responded to on a national footing we have a serious problemlying in store for us in the shape of a more dysfunctional city (Editorial, Daily Star,September 25, 2006).

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2.3.2. Mass migration to slums of Dhaka

Displaced streaming into city

At railway and bus stations and launch-terminals, numerous new faces can be seen everyday, as they were forced out of their villages by the devastating floods

Ayesha Begum, 36, who abandoned her submerged home in Sirajganj,managed a tiny room at a flood shelter in Bashabo. She, along with her husband and their 8-year-old daughter Aklima, came to Dhaka a week ago and spent two nights at Kamalapur Railway Station. "We havenowhere to go. We have finally come here after roaming many placesand spent two nights without food or water," Ayesha said. Desperate

for a job, her farm worker husband Abul Kashem, 46, was out of theshelter and Ayesha does not know when he will be back. "He will growmad if he does not find some food today. How can a child spend dayswithout food," she asked."If we stay in Dhaka, we will be able to find some baby food but there is nothing back at home."

Ayesha's is not a one-off story. Displaced people moved into the city because of the ragingfloodwaters that blighted two-thirds of Bangladesh. Because of the floods, Dhaka has to provideshelters for new comers while the city is already overburdened with more than 13 millionpeople. "Poor people have been coming to the city in search of jobs for long. Now the numberswill increase as they are driven by the deluge," a university student said.

The floodwaters left more than 30 million people homeless or cut off in 47 districts, while aboutfive million people are affected in the capital.

The inflow of displaced people to the city is up. They are rushing to the capital like floodwaters.Most are living under flimsy shelters built with plastic sheeting on sidewalks and pavements.(Daily Star, August 1, 2004)





People in their swamped villages in Nilphamari, Gaibandha,Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Rangpur, Bhola, Barisal, Bogra,Sherpur, Faridpur, Rajbari, Sirajganj, Sunamganj, Sylhet andMoulvi Bazar reeled under food, drinking water and medicinecrisis.

All the 44 sluice gates of the Teesta Barrage were opened toreduce pressure of the water flowing 64 centimeters above thedanger mark. Local residents said two flood control dams at Holdibari and Banpara inJaldhaka upazila were damaged, threatening further inundation. UNB adds about25,000 people were marooned in Sadar, Aditmari, Kaliganj and Hatibandha upazilas inLalmonirhat district.

Waterborne diseases are spreading fast in 25 districts because of flooding that killed atleast 35 people in six days and stranded close to three million in the north andnortheast. The fast-rising floods closed hundreds of educational institutions and forcedthousands of villagers to move to safety or live on their own without food and shelter

The flood situation in Bogra worsened because of heavy

rains and rising waters in the Jamuna and Bangali rivers.Reports of Sylhet correspondent say: The floods in badly-affected Sylhet remained unchanged with inundation of new areas in Jakiganj, Beanibazar and Fenchuganjupazilas and rivers flowing above the danger mark. AbdulMomin drowned in a remote rain-fed water-body inDharmapasha upazila in Sunamganj on Monday and ayoung man died in Chhatak upazila and two others,

including a minor boy, in Jaintapur the same day.

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2.3.3. WATERBORNE DISEASES"We can go without food for a couple of days but scarcity of drinking water has endangered our lives. Weare now exposed to various diseases including diarrhoea," said Kanai Lal of village Chatiyan inNarayanganj."We have no choice but to take floodwater for the last 20 days. We are not getting water purifying tabletsin the locality," said Solaiman of Keodala village (August 1, 2004).

Diarrhoea attacked one-year-old Nayeem at Domepara on Friday. His mother Nargis said the saline water is being used but her son is yet to show any sign of improvement. She said the saline was prepared inwater fetched from a house, located a kilometre west of Domepara. But the water she had used lookedalmost black in colour .She said, “The water of the tube-well was of that colour at the time of collection.”“We do not bother whether the water is good, because we can hardly get any drinking water,” saidRahmat Ali at Begunbari Katherpool. He told New Age that of about 100 tube-wells in the village, only four still remain above the water level (New Age, August 1, 2004).

Health experts said waterborne diseases would continue to ravage the affected areasfor at least the next three months while UN officials here, on condition anonymity, toldBSS that Bangladesh would need more than $43 million to tackle the health crisis alone(Daily Star, August 8, 2004).

WATERBORNE Responsible pathogen Route of Mode of





DISEASES exposure transmission

Cholera Vibrio cholerae bacterial gastro-intestina often waterborne

BotulismClostridium botulinum bacteria

Clostridium botulinum bacteria

food/water borne; cangrow in food

Typhoid Salmonella typhi bacteria gastro-intestinal water/food borne

Hepatitis A Hepatitis A virus gastro-intestinal gastro-intestinal

DysenteryShigella dysenteriae bacteria or Entamoeba

histolytica amoeba

gastro-intestinal food/water

CryptosporidiosisCryptosporidium parvum protozoa

gastro-intestinalwaterborne; resistschlorine

Polio polioviruses gastro-intestinalexposure to untreatedsewage; may also bewaterborne

Giardia Giardia lamblia protozoa gastro-intestinal waterborne

The picture surely gets grimmer when one learns that medical officers at the flood-ravaged districts have reportedly treated more than one hundred thousand people withhealth complaints in three weeks. These figures should be enough for the concernedauthorities to seriously consider intensifying medical care in the flooded villages aroundthe country.

With more than half the country under floodwater and millions homeless, the people inthe submerged areas are battling against a disease that could soon turn out to be thebiggest catastrophe. Lack of safe drinking water, water purifying tablets, medicalsupplies like ORS and other medicines only add to the woes people have been sufferingsince the beginning of the flood season. There have been reports about people usingwater from the wells without boiling or chlorinating it in any way. The prices of water purification tablets and ORS have also gone up (Daily Star, August 2, 2004).

BSS reports from the affected districts reported outbreak of water-born diseases fromdifferent areas including Gazipur and Habiganj due to scarcity of pure water andcollapse of sewerage systems, causing extra miseries for the flood victims. In manyareas the deluge continued to disrupt communication lines, marooning more people anddamaging more infrastructures prompting more social, voluntary and internationalorganisations to launch relief campaigns along with the government initiatives.



Health officials yesterday said more than 47,000 people contracted diarrhoea in 36districts and 31 of them died from the disease. Unofficial sources put the figure as highas a few lakh (1 lakh= 100 000).

Most of the relief centres located at remotest areas do not have adequate health-caretreatment for mitigating diarrhoea and other waterborne diseases. Apart from diarrhoea,

skin disease, jaundice, fever, dysentery and pneumonia have already been broken outamong flood victims taken shelter at relief camps in the city and across the country.

According to a source of the Health Department that the number of diarrhoea affectedvictims in 38 flood-hit districts has already crossed 10,000 as against 7,000 recordedtwenty four hours before. On the other hand, death caused by diarrhoea now rose to 30from 24, sources said. Lack of coordination among the concerned bodies under theMinistry of Health and Family Welfare and Ministry of Disaster Management has alsobeen surfaced in health care services to the flood victims. For this, the number of diarrhoea infected death toll is increasing as the floodwater starts to recede.(Bangladesh Observer, August 1, 2004)

In recent years Bangladesh has been confronted with severe environmental

degradation. Urban pollution, ground water contamination with arsenic, improper disposal of industrial, medical and household wastes have added environmentalhazards in the country. Poverty leads to unhygienic and unsanitary practices that in turncause pollution. Massive deforestation beyond the borders of Bangladesh has a directimpact on the country as with less vegetation to absorb the rains, floods have risen tohigher levels destroying agricultural crops. This year India, Nepal and Bangladesh areagain in grip of floods which have caused about 900 deaths in the three countries(floods have caused about 1,000 deaths in China as well).

The spread of diarrhoea and other water-borne diseases in an epidemic form in thecountry's flood-stricken areas looks all the more likely now. Already diarrhoea hasclaimed the majority of the death toll which, according to the official figure so far, is 544.

Unofficial figure however is much higher. Although the health ministry officials claim asmany as 3,296 government medical teams and a good number of non-governmentteams are working in the affected areas, reports say they are only conspicuous by their absence. Indeed, there is a connection between the receding flood-waters and thespread of the water-borne diseases. But what is not admitted is the lack of governmentpreparation for an overwhelming situation like this (Editorial, Bangladesh Observer,August 3, 2004).

Hospitals fill with diarrhoea patients:

About 1,00,000 people have been affected with diarrhoea. About 7,000 were contracted the

disease in the 24 hours ending Friday morning. One thousand and twenty-six people, the highest,were affected with diarrhoea on Friday in Dhaka alone (New Age, July 31, 2004).

Diarrhoea outbreak has taken a serious turn in the city's flood-hit areas and experts fear the worstwill come when the floodwaters recede. Sources at the International Centre for DiarrhoeaDiseases Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B), popularly known as Mohakhali Cholera Hospital,said 475 patients, most of them children, were admitted to the centre yesterday. Only the previousday, the number was 441. They said diarrhoea patients are increasing every day.



"This is already serious, but diarrhoea outbreak will peak in the form of an epidemic asfloodwaters recede," said Dr PK Bardhan, a scientist at the ICDDR,B. He, however, said adequatesupply of pure drinking water to the affected areas is now urgently needed to arrest spread of thewaterborne disease.

The flood shelters are hit hard by the disease because of a dearth of drinking water. Hospitals andclinics are flooding with an increased number of diarrhoea patients every day. The situation hasturned even worse as sewerage water has got stuck over almost one-third of the city, escaping intowater pipelines and reservoirs.As a result many flood-hit people are compelled to drink contaminated water (Daily Star,28 July, 2004).

A Wasa (Water and Sewerage Authority) expert says the 260km network of stormsewers in Dhaka is in 'a bad shape' as city dwellers and sweepers and cleaners of Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) dump rubbish onto roads. "The major problem is theamount of solid rubbish and dust dumped into storm sewers," a Wasa official said.Whenever the DCC street cleaners sweep the streets, they dump all rubbish into the

drains through the 'catch pits'. The catch pits as a result get blocked and the flow of rainwater into the drains is hindered.

The situation has not turned that critical in other areas, but it is clear that water-logginghas become a major concern for the city dwellers. In the first place, traffic congestion, aperennial problem in the city, is further aggravated. The man hours lost on the roadconstitute a national loss. Furthermore, the already potholed roads are being damagedby stationary water, let alone the vehicles wading heavily through them. And the leastsaid about health hazards the better.

Now, it is imperative that the reasons behind such constant water-logging arerecognised and remedies found by the city engineering authorities. Digging of roads, analmost round-the-year phenomenon, contributes to water-logging, particularly because

the ruptured roads are almost never put back to their original position. Then we havewitnessed a lot of activities like construction and demolition of road dividers. Onlyexperts can say how much these changes have had a bearing on water-logging, butthere is no doubt that the situation is worsening day by day.

Monsoon is here, much to the relief of the city dwellers. It is not good news for all,however. Large parts of the city have gone under water much to the chagrin of thedwellers of the low-lying areas. Many of the roads are water logged creating greatinconvenience to traffic. The much trumpeted multi-million dollar storm seweragesystem that was built in the last decade does not seem to be fully effective, althoughone must agree that it has had some effect

The big risk is epidemics

The victims of Bangladesh's floods are surviving for now, thedeath toll has been remarkably low, but every day their situationbecomes more precarious."I think it will be dangerous if it continues for long becausepeople will be suffering," said Mustafizur Rahman, deputycommissioner of Munshiganj. "They have no shelter, their cropsare damaged and there are health hazards. We are



endeavouring to protect them but it is not sufficient. If it continues for long it will be veryhard for us to protect them."

That the flood is receding is welcome news but the news of the severe health hazardsthat the flood-affected people are facing is far from solace to us. We are concerned atthe rising number of deaths due to various diseases, malnutrition, lack of adequate relief

and drowning. Admittedly, our forecasting mechanism is unable to make a long-termflood prognostication but, given that we are visited by flood almost every year, merited acontingency plan to tackle its aftereffects.

Incidences of gastrointestinal disease, a consequence of unclean drinking water;respiratory disease in children, a consequence of exposure to the elements due to lackof shelter; and incidences of dengue and malaria, give us an impression that thegovernment's measures to tackle the after-flood situation are not as exhaustive as theymight be. In one twenty-four hour period two days ago, more than six hundred personswere admitted to hospitals suffering from diarrhoea alone (Editorial, Daily Star, August3, 2004). .

Snakebite incidents rise as flood water swells

The incidence of snakebites has increased as flood water has entered many houses in low-lyingareas in and around the Dhaka city over the past few days. According to hospital sources,although most victims were bitten by non-poisonous victims, at least four of them died in theabsence of proper treatment facilities in city hospitals. Two hundred people were bitten bysnakes last month.

Last week about 50 people, mostly women and children, were admitted to Dhaka MedicalCollege Hospital with snakebites. The victims were bitten at home and mostly during daytime.The hospital records show, the patients came from Hazaribagh, Azimpur, Rampura, Badda,Kamalapur, Goran, Rajabazar, Mirpur, Banani and Gulshan in the city, and Kamrangirchar,

Keraniganj, Savar and Tongi on the outskirts.

A large number of snakebite victims also came from Gazipur and Narayanganj. Mehdi Hasan, asix-year-old boy of Manda in Badda, said he had been bitten by a large snake inside his bedroomand added that the serpent slipped away after biting his right foot. Mehdi was under observationat the DMCH paediatric ward. “Snakebites kill a large number of people during monsoon in thecountry every year, but unfortunately, there were no adequate facilities for treating snakebite patients in government hospitals in the country, not even at the hospital,” said Professor FMSiddiqui of medicine at Dhaka Medical College.

Last month he treated two patients, who had been bitten by poisonous snakes, but could not save

one of them. He had to borrow anti-snake venom from one of his colleagues as it was unavailablein the market. He said snakebite incidences increase during flood because flood water reducesland area and flushes out snakes from underground dens.The snakes while seeking shelter on higher grounds frequently encounter people, which results insnakebites. Dr Anwar Ullah, a medical officer of Ward 3 at the DMCH, said most patients had been bitten by non-venomous snakes.

Some patients also come to hospital, taking injuries from sharp objects for snakebites, he added.



“We discharge such patients after first aid and keep snakebite victims in hospital for 24 hours for observation.”Doctors are facing difficulties to treat patients, bitten by venomous snakes, as antidotes are notavailable in the market.An intern of the Ward 4 of the DMCH said last month one patient was referred to the hospitalfrom the Mymensingh Medical College Hospital. He died because of delay in starting treatmentin Mymensingh and in Dhaka.

Only the Chittagong Medical College Hospital is equipped with facilities for treating poisonoussnakebites. Professor M Abid Hossain, head of paediatrics, said it was impossible to preventsnakebite incidents during flood as people and snakes compete for shelter.Health workers in flood affected areas should be trained to give first aid to snakebite patients andrefer them to nearby hospitals. Tying tight ligatures proximal to the bite spots is not at allrecommended, Abid said.An estimated 10,000 people are bitten by snakes every year and the mortality rate is as high as 20 per cent. There were 28 different species of venomous snakes including 12 species of sea

snakes.As public hospitals are not adequately equipped with logistics and trained manpower formanaging life threatening venomous snakebites, people mostly rely on traditional healers(New Age, 31 July, 2004).

1. Mosquitoes droning menacingly in Dhaka Bangladesh2. Malaria strikes capital Dhaka Bangladesh3. Dengue menace lurking in the wings

Official death toll 202

As in the past the correct death tolls will be never known.

Raging floods that relive the memory of the 1988 devastating deluge inundated half akilometre of rail tracks in Brahmanbaria and part of Dhaka-Aricha Road yesterday,threatening the capital's rail links to Chittagong and long-haul travels to the south byroad. Tens of thousands of people are struggling against chaos in the flood-ravagedcentral district of Munshiganj surrounded by three rivers rising by the day.

Officials of the local administration in Bogra announced by loudspeaker that 45kilometres of the flood control dam there are highly vulnerable to collapse as the water levels in the Brahmaputra river overtook all records. Hundreds of people scrambled torepair the Meghna-Dhonagoda embankment in Matlab upazila in Chandpur thatcollapsed in part as floodwater gushed through an opening of about 100 feet spreadingpanic in the neighbourhood.

The official death toll in flooding that has submerged half of Bangladesh rose to 202 asfloodwater spread to the heart of the capital, the official news agency BSS said. Slumdwellers living on the fringes of the city are the worst affected -- struggling to build newhomes from bamboo and plastic sheeting on higher ground. People in outlying areastook to boats and rafts crafted out of banana trees for an easy access to safety.

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Thousands of people living their days out without medicine and drinking water weretaken ill with diarrhoea in the northern, northeastern and central districts as thewaterborne disease is spreading fast, according to news dispatches from differentcorrespondents.

More than seven lakh people have been forced to take refuge in

1,752 makeshift flood shelters in the 35 districts while moreothers have been marooned or have taken shelter elsewhere.The deluge completely eroded 5,630 kilometres of roads, partlydamaged 21,844 kilometres of roads and destroyed 2,089bridges and culverts. The official statistics said the flood killed atleast 4,000 cattle, destroyed standing crops on 7,27,697 acres of land and partly damaged yields on 1,165,790 acres.

Devastation, disease: Relief, medicine scarce Thousands queue for relief in Gaibandha

Thousands are awaiting relief on Brahmaputra Flood ControlEmbankment and other high places while over five lakh families are

still marooned in flood affected areas of Gaibandha. They need cookedfood and drinking water as most of them have no firewood andcooking utensils, many told this correspondent during a visit onMonday.

"We are passing the daytime any how but sun set brings nightmare as we have no candle or lantern", said Nazly of Ghar Rahamtpur in Fulohari upazila, now on the Brahmaputra FloodControl Embankment. "Where will we go? I looked on as the Brahmputra washed away mydwelling", said Hafizur of Daltipara village in Gaibandha Sadar upazila (Daily Star, 28 July,2004)..

It will not be wrong to say that the two previous floods, in 1988 and 1998, were moresevere and more prolonged than the current one provided we do not get a second boutin mid-August. Yet, unfortunately, the impact in terms of the number of humancasualties in this case is relatively higher than in the past two instances.

Incidences of gastrointestinal disease, a consequence of unclean drinking water;respiratory disease in children, a consequence of exposure to the elements due to lackof shelter; and incidences of dengue and malaria, give us an impression that thegovernment's measures to tackle the after-flood situation are not as exhaustive as theymight be.

The news that the government does not have adequate water purifying tablets will comeas a shock to the multitudes that are suffering from lack of proper drinking water. While

the government can do very little to enhance recession of flood under the presentcircumstances, its inability to provide the very basic necessities to keep people alive iswoeful (Editorial, Daily Star, August 4, 2004).

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2. 3. 4. North East BangladeshVast haor area is covered by crops threatened by regular floods





Surma-Kusyara (Syleht Basin) Floodplain:The meander flood plains of rivers includethe upper Meghna,Surma, Kusyiara, Manu; Dhalat and Khowai etc. flowing fromShillong plateau included in this unit. It mainly comprises extensive, low-lying basins(theharors) bordered by relatively narrow ridges.

The open water and the closed water bodies inclusive of haors,

baors and beels are respectively of 40,47,000 ha and 3,51,000ha totaling 43,98,000 ha that comprise 30 percent of the totalsurface area of Bangladesh. Haors (wetlands) are clustered inthe north-east region and are large bowl-shaped flood plaindepressions. The north-east region is one of the eight suchdistinct and defined units that hydrologically zone the entire

country. Its area is estimated at 24,200 square kilometer i.e. 17.50 percent of thecountry's total land surface.The principal rivers of the region include the Surma and theKushiyara which drain the eastern side of the region and, the Kangsha the western sidewhile the rivers Kalni and Baulai drain the central basin.

The region experiences some of the most extreme hydrological conditions and is

prone to severe flooding. Annual rainfall ranges from 2200 mm along the westernboundary to 5800 mm in its north-east corner and as high as 12,000 mm in theheadwater of some catchments extending into the bordering state of India. The floodingdepth is usually 3 to 5 meter but may be as deep as 6 meter in the worst case. Theprincipal rivers of the region include the Surma and the Kushiyara which drain theeastern side of the region and, the Kangsha the western side while the rivers Kalni andBaulai drain the central basin.

The loss of natural vegetation and over exploitation throgh agriculture and deforestationin the hilly area lead to regular pre-monsoon flooding, monsoon flooding and post-monsoon flooding.

Food Crisis

Stranded families in remote areas have no access to food, drinking water or adequateshelter. Waterborne diseases such as diarrhoea, dysentery and malaria are also on theincrease. In Sylhet and Sunamganj districts an estimated 40-80% of rice crops havebeen destroyed, spelling disaster for farming families who depend upon agriculture for their livelihoods. With over two months of monsoon rains remaining, there are fears thatthe worst is yet to come (BBC, july 23, 2004)..

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2. 3. 5. Flood in Southern Coastal DistrictsFloods rising in three Southern districts - Sea turbulent: Tentulia, Karkhana rivers

swell due to low in BayFresh areas in Barisal, Jhalakathi and Patuakhali districts including parts of the districttowns were flooded in the last two days as waters rolling down from the central districtscan not recede due to a low in the Bay and the turbulent sea. The floodwater continuedto rise yesterday. Meteorological Department officials said yesterday that the low couldturn into a depression and cross over Orissa in India but may cause downpour inBangladesh. The sea is very rough because of the low, they said.





In Barisal district, most of areas of the Hizla, Banaripara Muladi,Vandaria and Sadar upazilas have reeled under floodwater asTentulia and Karkhana rivers swelled further as waters from thecentral districts rolled down but can not floe into the sea. Thesituation however improved in other areas of Barisal division. Atleast 10 of the 30 wards of Barisal city including Tiakhali, C and B,Mallick Bari, Kazi Para, Harinafulia, Kalizira and the city outskirts areunder knee deep water.

Ferry operation in Kirtankhola river is often disrupted as pontoons gounder water during high tide. Ten unions of Barisal Sadar upazila

and five out of the fourteen unions in Bakerganj upazila went under water. The unionsinclude Dudhal, Faridpur, Kabai, Nalua, Durgapasha, Durgapasha and Kabai. At least70,000 people are marooned in Hizla, Banaripara and Muladi upazilas, according toleaders of local bodies there.

Five thousand people have been affected in Vandaria upazila and Aman paddy on atleast 2300 hectares damaged in Kawkhali upazila in Jhalakati district.

In Patuakhali, at least 200 feet of the ring embankment at Shibbaria in Khapravangaunion in Kalapara upazila have been washed away by the floodwater. About twentythousand people are marooned in the upazila. Nine unions in Dshmina, Baufal andDumki upazilas and 35 shoals in the district are badly affected (Daily Star, August 7,2004).

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2. 3. 6. Trading On Human MiseryA new phenomenon of this year’s floods is the water-borne gangsters. This has never occurred in the past. The people of this country have responded to calamities with greatresolve and unprecedented unity. This is for the first time that some people are takingadvantage of the human misery. The police, as usual, is saying that they do not havethe logistics to face such a unique spate of crime. While criminals are innovative, thelawmen are looking for pleas (Bangladesh Observe, August2, 2004).r

Director general of the NGO Bureau Mizanur Rahman blamed some organisations for claiming to have fed hundreds of families after distributing only two kilograms of rice‘which is not fair’. A number of opposition lawmakers on Monday accused thegovernment of deliberately leaving out their constituencies of its relief operations. (NewAge, 27 July, 2004).

Micro-credit and NGOs

Most of the non-government organisations that disburse micro-credit are pressuring the borrowersto pay back their loans, instead of relief distribution to the flood-affected people. If comparedwith the total number of the NGOs, enlisted with different government bodies, a very smallnumber of them are conducting relief operation in the flood-affected areas.

New Age has learnt that the number of the local and the national level NGOs are continuing to press, either directly or indirectly, the flood-hit micro-credit borrowers to pay back their loans.





Rahima Begum, a flood victim of Kadamtala in the city, said she had paid her BRAC loaninstalment during the flood as she felt an indirect pressure to repay loan. "If I fail, I will have tolose my eligibility for receiving any loan in future," she said. Flood victims Renu Begum of Mugda and Nazma Begum of Madinabagh Lane said although they tried their best to remain

regular in paying instalments of the ASA, they failed for two weeks. "The field officer did not put pressure on me but I will pay two instalments together this week as my failure to repay loans will be considered as non-cooperation," said Renu Begum, who took shelter at Haider Ali High Schoolat East Manda.

Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, a state-owned news agency, reported that the loanofficers of the NGOs, including the Bangladesh Rural Development Board, have been movingdoor to door of the marooned borrowers by boats to realise the instalments that have put extra burden on the flood victims.

Besides, a number of the NGO field workers, preferring not to be named, said their salaries had been held up for failure to realise the instalments of micro-credit. (New Age, August 15, 2004).

When we hear that workers from no less than 53 NGOs have moved into the floodedareas not so much to offer relief but to collect arrears and the current installment that isdue, we can but despair that we have completely lost our humanity. Even the peoplewho are used to being treated as sub-human calling them inhuman and are comparingthe activities of these NGOs to the leeches and poisonous snakes that are in the floodwaters. Surely these microcredit NGOs can forgo the payment due against the loansuntil the floods are over and their client / debtors can once again pick up the threads of their lives?

If as is said, workers and officials from the NGOs are travelling by boat to enable themto go from place to place for this one purpose instead of providing relief or doing anyrehabilitation work, we are reminded of a similar situation that took place in 1988. But,as we recall, it was that flood that revealed the weaknesses in the system. We werealso told that the microcredit organisations would not allow it to happen again because itwas counter-productive. They were also supposed to take the measures necessary toprotect themselves against such occurrences therefore this time round, theseorganisations should have handled it differently.

If as reported, one of the main weaknesses in the system that emerged in 1988 was thelack of a Revolving Emergency Loan Fund or something similar that would have allowedthem to respond to the needs of their clients when a natural disaster hit that prohibitedthe repayment of loans, why wasn't this done? If it was clear then that there was a needfor a system that would provide "bail out" loans to defaulters, especially for those whohad lost their assets, why isn't it clear now? But what is most disturbing is that theseworkers are said to be from very reputable organisations like Caritas, Proshika, BRAC,Grameen Bank, CHCP, VOSD, GHOST, CCDB, Aloshikha, HDEO, BARD, PSUC,BRAVE, BRDB etc. and though we understand the importance of maintaining a strictrepayment schedule, surely under conditions with such as these, they can bend over alittle?.(Editorial, The Daily Observer, August 7, 2004).



Ten kilograms of rice, enough to last a family for just a fewdays. It is a start but it is not much."It is not possible to survive on this food. I can only manage twoor three days with this rice," said one man."It's not much but I have nothing else," said one woman. "Atleast now I can cook and eat."Across the flood-affected regions hundreds of thousands,perhaps millions of people are moving to higher ground

A union parishad (UP) chairman of Bogra's Dhunat upaziladrew relief for 17 villages eight of which were obliterated fromthe map and the rest partially lost to river erosion 15 years ago,villagers alleged. The latest reports indicate that the relief operations are plagued by anomalies and corruption, apart fromshortage of the materials that the marooned people need to

survive. Locals have complained that relief materials have been procured even in thename of non-existent villages

As people of almost all parts of the country are battling against the worsening floods for their survival, a section of unscrupulous and fiendish among them are taking advantageof the condition. This is not for the first time that such people trade on human miseries,they do so on every opportune occasion—from the time of genuine scarcity of goods tofestival times when people are a little more generous in their expenditure.

In this country of floods, our politics operate in water-tight compartments. The gridlockhas paralysed the nation into a monomania of masterly inactivity. In this ICT Age, thecommunication gap between the two major political parties in Dhaka is starklycontradictory to the smooth flow of democratic rhetoric.

Farmers face harassment in getting loan

Oct 29, 2004: Despite government's directive to the bank officials to ensure a corruptionfree atmosphere for the disbursement of agricultural loans involving no delay, thefarmers are facing harassment from the bank officials in getting agricultural loan. Thegovernment, in view of extensive loss in the agricultural sector due to the lastdevastating flood, sanctioned loans for the flood affected farmers under agriculturerehabilitation programme issuing a directive to the bank officials that the loan bedisbursed quickly and that the farmers be free from all sorts of harassment in theavailability of loan.

But defying the government's directive, the bank officials have exposed the farmers toharassment in the availability of loan. It is alleged that the bank officials in connivancewith brokers and middlemen force the farmers to pay them Tk 100 to Tk 200 for

sanctioning loan to the tune of Tk 1000. 'If their hands are greased, loans are availablein a day, in case of otherwise, the disbursement of loan is delayed on different pleas',said a farmer of Chalak Char village under Monohardi Upazila.

Ex-member of Daulatpur Union and farmer Zahirul Haque of Monohardi Upazila said,"Loans are not disbursed according to list submitted by the block supervisors of Agriculture Department. Any body can get loan if he gives bribe even if he is not afarmer''.



The government sanctioned Tk.7.28 crore loan for disbursement among the floodaffected farmers through 14 branches of Bangladesh Krishi Bank and Tk.22.28 croreloan for disbursement among 375 member farmers through 21 samities of BangladeshRural Development Board (BRDB) under agriculture rehabilitation programme (TheIndependent, October 30, 2004).

Village money lenders active, exact high interestFarmers of Joypurhat district are badly affected by flood in last aman season. Manyfarmers failed to realise cost of cultivation and they are not in position to afford money topurchase potato seeds and fertilizers at an exhorbitant price. Some unscrupulus moneylenders are taking advantage of the situation of needy farmers they are takingsignatures or thumb impressions on non-judicial stamps as a document for giving loanto them, it is further complained.

Meanwhile, commercial banks and NGOs imposed hard conditions to grant credit oncrop production. Failing to follow conditions of banks, farmers are approaching thevillage money lenders to take loan at high rate of interest. Abdul Kuddus, Chairman,Punat Union Parishad confirmed the news and said that farmers are going to villagemoney lenders for loan (The Bangladesh Observer, December 7, 2004).

UN sees major humanitarian crisis after flood

The World Food Programme release said heavy flood in April destroyed substantial parts of the rice crop and another flood in July wiped out food stocks of many households. The next rice harvest is expected in 10 months, it said. TheUN agency expressed its concern about the forthcoming high tide in the Bay of Bengal, which would considerablylimit the outflow of flood water into the sea. With the high tide expected in early August, a serious humanitarian crisiscould break out in a matter of weeks, it said. The agency was also concerned about the current food shortage and itsimplications for the future.

The disease control room of the health directorate said 41 people died and 72,089 people have suffered fromdiarrhoea across the country in July till Saturday. One died of diarrhoea and 1,513 were admitted to hospital across

the country with complaints of the water-borne disease in 24 hours ending at 6:00pm Saturday, the control room said.The death figure from flooding till Saturday stands at 205 as flood water continued to inundate fresh areas. The floodhas so far affected 21 million people, according to an official statement.

Road communications between Sirajganj and the northern region was snapped as a portion of a bailey bridge on theSirajganj-Bogra Highway at Kamarkhand upazila was washed away, the United News of Bangladesh reported. Roadcommunications between the south and the capital is also under threat as the Dhaka-Aricha Highway went under flood water at different points, the agency reported. The flood situation in 17 districts continued worsening as rain-fedrivers remained in spate. The flood has affected 48 districts till Saturday, the flood forecasting centre said (NewAge,25 July, 2004)

" WE WILL STARVE RATHER THAN TAKING SUCH RELIEF”

Not Looking up to Governmentovt or NGOs

If there is any gain from this year's floods it is unquestionably the capacity for self-help amongthe affected people demonstrated on a scale not hitherto witnessed. Bangladesh people's resiliencetested through one catastrophe to another in their chequered history has acquired almost a

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proverbial recognition abroad. It is a kind of self-eulogy perhaps that we shouldn't hesitate toindulge in once in a while. For, here is a matter of not certification by anybody but an expressionof admiration for the invincibility of the human spirit against daunting odds.

The flood affected people this year in several parts of the country have set examples of

volunteerism and self-help. Imagine the seed-beds farmers have raised over rafts made of justabout anything they could put together to float. Their sole anxiety has been to make good their losses. Mind you, many of them famished as their tiny stocks of cereals washed away; yet they persevered to have something to latch on by way of rebuilding their battered lives.

At Kulaura in Maulvibazar people from seven unions have joined hands to repair a damagedembankment. College and school students are moving sacks of freshly dug out earth from onecorner of the breached embankment to another so as to reinforce it along the weak stretches.

The floods have certainly raised the consciousness level of our people to try and fend for eachother. That remains an asset for us (Editorial, Daily Star, August 14, 2004).

Seeds, fertilizers for Rajbari flood victims sold in blackmarket

RAJBARI, Dec 15, 2004:–The Fertilizers and seeds for free distribution among the floodhit people are being sold in open market in Rajbari district at high prices.

One Fazlul Haque Patuary (60) a flood affected farmer of village West Mulghar under Bosontopur union of Rajbari sadar upazila, has a plot of land, and he lost the crops of his land due to recent flood and heavy rainfall but he could not get money or relief goods from the relief committee. He said on Thursday that he could not prepare for planting and seedling of his land. On the other hand some dishonest fertilizer traders of Rajbari bazaar are selling relief's seeds and fertilizers at high prices in the nose of lawenforcing agencies.

Tazul Islam, a poor farmer of Mizanpur union under Rajbari sadar said that he could notget relief's fertilizer and seeds from Rajbari sadar upazila relief and rehabilitation centre.Monwar Hossain and Lokman Hossain marginal farmer of same village said that theycould not get a single kg of fertilizer and seed as relief (The Bangladesh Observer,December 16, 2004).Back to Content

2. 4. Causes of Devastating Floods29 flood-protection dams endangered

Two major cities, including the capital, and nineteen other

towns are threatened by floodwater as 29 flood protectionembankments built around those urban centres are reportedlyeither vulnerable to breaches or endangered for lack of maintenance

The Water Development Board in a flood assessment reportsays that over 150 kilometres of those embankments are likelyto cave in. The current flooding has completely washed away over 100 kilometres of embankments and partially damaged nearly 432 kilometres of dams so far, it says.





The report enumerated several endangered embankments. Those are: Bhuanpur-Tarakandi embankments at Tangail and Jamalpur, Brahmaputra Right Bank; Rangpur,Gaibandha, Sirajganj and Bogra districts, Teesta Right and Left Bank embankments atRangpur; Rajshahi City Protection Embankment; Shikaripara (Khailshakhali DamProject) in Dhaka; Dhaka South West Project; Chandpur Irrigation Project; Faridpur Barisal Project; Agrani Irrigation Project in Narsingdi and Narayanganj; Bhola IrrigationProject, and Ichhamati Banks Protection dam in Chittagong and Rangamati (New Age,27. 07. 04).

The size of any flood hazard is dependant upon two points; the primary causes of floods, such as heavy rainfall, storm surges etc., and any secondary intensifyingconditions, such as deforestation. With this in mind we can asses the conditions thatmight bring the most catastrophic flood. Heavy rainfall and a storm surge at a low lyingestuary that is heavily urbanised would probably bring the worst possible flood thoughthere are many other considerations to think of.

Structural interventions have aggravated the flood situation.Roads and embankments have been built without considering

the nature of the water flow creating new flood prone areas.The major problem lies there. New areas are coming under floods and people of these regions are not used to it andtherefore do not know how to cope with it. A number of measures in the past like the recommendation of the KruggMission in 1956 following the massive floods of 1954 havedone more damage to the landscape and brought new areasunder flooding. The Flood Action Plan (FAP) that followed themassive floods of 1988 was abandoned as it did not take the

environment, adequately, into consideration. Besides, it was considered to expensivefor a poor country like Bangladesh.

The floods today in 2004, therefore, are both a product of the flood control projects andalso a good reason to prepare more projects in similar line. With the money taken frompeople's pocket, the flow of water is blocked, rivers are destroyed, the overflow of water become disastrous, water-logging become permanent, and the results are all around us.

2m to remain marooned at DND for 2 weeks

More than two million people living in the 56-square-kilometre area within the perimeter of theDND embankment have been the worst sufferers from the record rainfall of last week. Officials of the Water Development Board said Saturday that about two crore cubic metres of water hadstagnated in the area from the weeklong heavy downpour and that it would take at least two moreweeks to remove the excess and stagnant water with existing capacity in its lone pump station inShimrail.

Officials and local people urged the government to set up another pump station immediately toincrease the dam's water disposal capacity. The estimated Tk 50-crore project can save propertiesfrom damages wrought by the water-logging as also mitigate the sufferings of the marooned people even under average rainfall in the growing suburbia surrounding the dam. "At least twocrore cubic metres of water have become stagnant inside the DND area while the existingcapacity of four machines to pump out the water at the Shimrail pump station is 12.52 lakh cubic



metres in 24 hours," Mojibur Rahman Chowdhury, superintendent engineer of the Dhaka circle of the water board, told New Age.

The board obtained 12 low capacity machines from WASA for emergency disposal, the capacityof which altogether is less than one machine in Shimrail pump station. Seventy per cent areas of

the DND embankment under Demra, Fatullah, and Siddhirganj thanas and some parts of thecapital are still under one meter-plus of water on the average, said officials. The stagnant water has already caused damages to the dwellers' household belongings. "At least 50 per cent of estimated one lakh households in the areas are among the affected," said an official.

At Dogair, Bhuigahr and Shumilpara and Enayet Nagor unions on Saturday, many businesses,including poultry farms packaging factories, were found inundated; and the distressedentrepreneurs said they would be counting tens of crores of taka in financial losses. "We lost aminimum of Tk 1 crore from damages of saplings in our 15 nurseries," said Matin Mia, owners of one of 17 nurseries at Shanarpar. Near the nursery at the estuary of the DND canal, species of fish, like pangas, rui and sharputi, spilled over from the many ponds under pisciculture within theDND areas to the delight of children catching them in merriment, but at a great cost to the

fisheries. Many of these amateurs were seen selling fish to enthusiastic customers at a rate muchcheaper than their market price.

"Managing the huge sewerage of around 2 million people and occasional water stagnancy of water can not be managed by a single station designed to dispose irrigation water 40 years ago,"said a senior official of the Water Development Board. He said last year they heard about the planning of a new station, but nothing was heard of it since. Narayanganj district administrationofficials estimated that nearly 30,000 people had left their homes and took shelter on high groundor roadsides. "We don't want you [reporters] to write about our sorrows every time, we need a permanent solution to the problem and the government should immediately think of it," said AbuSalek, a schoolteacher residing near the Institute of Mother and Child Health Care in the vicinityof Matuail (New Age, 19. 09. 04).

1. Projects of Mass Destruction2. Let Rivers be Returned to Rivers3. The Brahmaputra's Changing River Ecology4. The big melt has begun

Clogged up canals keep Dhaka city waterlogged

As waterlogging disrupts life even after a splash of shower in the capital, authorities incharge of clearing sewage say encroachments on different canals obstruct normal flow

of water leading to severe water stagnation in Dhaka. A network of 26 canals that usedto form the natural drainage system for Dhaka city has disappeared or shrunk drasticallyover the last four decades, they said.

The disappearance of the canal network has not only aggravated the city's drainageproblem apart from depriving the city of its natural beauty, it has also blocked theregular recharge of groundwater beneath the city, which leads to the alarming fall of groundwater table every year. Among the city canals, Dholai Khal once was animportant navigational route for country boats in and out of destinations within the

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metropolis but has now disappeared due to wrong policies of the city administration toconstruct roads by filling up canals.

A study of Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Wasa) on the causes of waterlogging reveals that unplanned urbanisation coupled with encroachments on theoutlet canals have destroyed the city sewer network. Most outlets have either died or

become clogged up as the canals have been occupied by private developers and publicand autonomous bodies like Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) and Dhaka CityCorporation (DCC).

In most cases, big structures have been constructed on the outlet canals. Constructionof sluice gate by the Water Development Board (WDB) and sealing of manhole coversduring road carpeting are also responsible for waterlogging. The drainage problem willbecome more acute if the 'unplanned' development of eastern Dhaka proceeds further,Wasa warns (Daily Star, September 22, 2004)..

Dutch water engineering

The Dutch have rolled back the sea to create the Netherlands, literally meaning the land

of the sea bed. The Dutch experts who are always there wherever there is water-engineering projects also do not take into account the monsoon which does not occur intheir part of the world. Polders, embankments and draining of water reservoirs like thehuge Chalan Beel are some of the adversial impact of Dutch water engineering inBangladesh. This has resulted in water deserts and drowning of highlands

The devastating floods of the recent past are due to excessive rainfall in the GBMcatchment area, and synchronization of peak flow of the Ganges and the Brahmaputra-Jamuna rivers. Effects of El-Nino, La-Nina, and synchronization of high tide are alsoconsidered to be the causes of the flood of 1998. The likelihood of abnormal floods isalso increased due to infrastructure development activities that neglect proper concernabout environmental impacts and drainage facilities.

• Excessive rainfall in the catchment area

• Synchronization of the peak water levels of all the major rivers of Bangladesh.

• Sometimes solar eclipse retards the outflow of water drainage by raisingthe tidal level.

• Earthquakes cause tectonic anomaly in the Himalayan region and the Bayof Bengal.

• Infrastructure development without adequate drainage facilities.

Many urban areas also have flooding problems as the urban area itself causes water toget into the river quickly in different ways :

The creation of impermeable surfaces such as roads and roofs stops infiltration andincreases surface runoff.

The impermeable surface are smooth and lag time (time between rainfall and entryinto river) is reduced.

The natural river channel is often restricted by walls and bridges thus reducing itscapacity.



KUMAR RIVER - THE RIVER OF SORROW

The problem of development

To be modern, people started developing communications systems like roads that is blocking thewater, and s creating quite negative consequences for our ecosystem, and they're also creatingdifferent kinds of embankment and they're planning to divert the river waters and the river systems. So a lot of this attempt at development has been about man trying to force himself on Nature and what you're telling me is that the traditional Bengali way has been to go with the flowand that has worked better.If you compare the history of the old cyclones and flood waters, you'll see the misery hasincreased (into more modern times). The misery has increased with this kind of 'engineering'solution to water.

Northern consumers who love the Bangladeshi shrimp and the cheap price - because they're not paying the costs of these mangrove forests which people have managed for hundreds of years.

And the World Bank came and told them that the only way they could solve their balance of payments problem was only by going into the export of non-traditional items: shrimp, turtles,things which change everything related to the environment (F. Mazhar, 2004).

Himalayan Snows

As predicted by environmentalists floods are increasing both in frequency anddevastation because of global warming. Snows and glaciers at the source of the riversflowing into Bangladesh are melting at an unprecedented scale causing massivedamage to lives and crops in the entire subcontinent. Due to the growing incidence of floods the world has gotten used to the miseries entailed. The Western dominated newsmedia is circulating reports of snow melting in the Andes but there is no information on

the ice-melting in the Himalayas.

While the monsoon season always brings flooding in Bangladesh, devastation on thecurrent scale is less frequent. Recently it has been happening on a 10-year cycle. Thelast major floods were in 1998 and 1988. But this year (2004)the floods have arrivedthree years early. Deforestation may be partly to blame, causing soil erosion whichreduces the ability of the land to absorb water

Irrigation for farming is a factor, because this causes river channels to silt up, reducingtheir capacity to hold flood waters. According to some experts, irrigation interferes withriver drainage into the sea.

Climate experts also believe global warming is partly to blame, by increasing monsoon

rainfall and speeding up the melting of Himalayan snows.Melting of glaciers in the Himalayas

Environmentalists are warning that the melting of glaciers in the Himalayas could spelldisaster for millions of people living in the region. They claim the situation is not beingadequately monitored; the last major studies having been done in the 1990s. Swellingglacial lakes would increase the risk of catastrophic flooding.

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This is a lake that should notexist. It is 6,000 metres abovesea level, a kilometre long and100 metres deep. Twenty-fiveyears ago it was a glacier.United Nations EnvironmentProgramme (Unep), shows

anecdotal evidence that the Himalayas are changing. At analtitude of over 4,000m, the crew found a vast glacier lake,which according to their maps, had not been there a fewdecades before. But since then, temperatures in what is one of the world's largest ice fields have risen year after year. Thelake is held in place by a wall of frozen rock known as itsterminal moraine. The ice that binds it together is melting and it is inevitable that sooner or later this natural dam will burst, releasing a massive wall of water down the valley.

There had, though, been a glacier. In the long term, the glaciers could disappear

altogether, causing several rivers to shrink and threatening the survival of those whodepend on them.

There are 3,300 glaciers in the Nepalese Himalayas and 2,300 of them contain glaciallakes. These lakes are quietly growing because of rising temperatures, but a sufficientlyclose eye is not being kept on them, campaigners say.

A burst lake would cause flash floods which could sweep away people, houses,roads and bridges in Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and India.

In the long term, researchers fear that global warming may switch the problem from toomuch water in the region to too little. Nearly 70% of discharge to the Ganges is fromNepalese rivers, which means that if Himalayan glaciers dry up so will the Ganges

downstream in India (Richard Black, BBC, November 17, 2004).UN conference (2003) in Milan on climate change reports:

Global warming is killing about 150,000 people a year, mostly in deprived and tropical areas, andthe toll could rise dramatically if efforts are not made to combat climate change, the World HealthOrganisation (WHO) warned yesterday. The United Nations agency said the health of millions of people was under threat as a consequence of rising temperatures and uncertain weather patterns,which many scientists claim are caused by greenhouse gas emissions.

The report said that even a rise of a few degrees in average annual temperatures could exposemillions more people to the threat from malaria. This would be by both extending the malariaseason in countries, where it is already endemic, and also by allowing the malaria mosquito tolive in countries where, at present, it cannot survive, such as Europe. Other diseases spread bymosquitoes, such as dengue fever, could also increase.

Hotter and wetter conditions are also likely to increase the spread of diarrhoeal disease, which is particularly dangerous to children. And people living in deprived conditions who cannot afford proper refrigeration are more likely to eat food tainted with increased bacterial contamination,caused by higher temperatures. Countries which are heavily dependent on a predictable monsoonseason for the cultivation of rice crops - such as India, Bangladesh and Burma - are more likely to



suffer increases in malnutrition if the changes affect the reliability of the rainy season(Independent UK, 12 December, 2003).

The causes of natural disasters in Bangladesh have an international dimension. The 57main rivers flowing through Bangladesh are trans-boundary; 54 of them have origins inIndia, and 3 in Myanmar. The upstream deforestation, heavy rainfall, melting of glaciers,

and soil erosion play a vital role in causing siltation in riverbeds. This in turn leads tonatural disasters like floods, flash floods, etc. The upstream activities also enhanceBangladesh is one of those poor countries which may face the irony of adapting to andmitigating the consequences of man-made global warming and climate change, whichare largely not of their own making; while they have little human, societal, technological,or financial capability for such adaptation and mitigation (Huq et al., 1999).

Bangladesh is thought to be one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to ClimateChange and Sea Level Rise (SLR). The apprehended Climate Change and SLR willlead to coastal inundation throughout the world, particularly along low-lying coastalareas.

An Example - Napa Country, California, USA:

At one time, the Napa River supported a dense riparian forest, provided significant wetlandhabitat alongside the river, and included significant spawning areas for fish such as salmon andsteelhead. However, the pressures of urbanization, agriculture, and grazing have degradedthese habitats and the quality of the natural environment around the river so that theexisting natural drainage system provided by the Napa River and Napa Creek is not sufficientto prevent extensive periodic flooding and associated property damage in the project area.

Since 1862, more than 27 major floods have plagued the Napa Valley, resulting in significant lossof life and damage to property. Among the most damaging was the flood of 1986 which causedmore than $140 million in damage and led to the evacuation of 7,000 residents. The 1995 flood

damaged an estimated 227.

In Bangladesh, it is likely to inundate wetlands and lowlands, accelerate coastal erosion,increase the risk of flood and cyclone disasters, change rainfall pattern, create drainageand irrigation problems; and increase salt water intrusion into ground water, rivers,agricultural, and coastal forestlands.

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2. 4. 1. Rapid economic development and urbanisationcause Floods in AsiaAs floods ravage Asia in what experts say are, in some cases, the worst in memory,

analysts have warned such calamities are likely to increase with rapid economicdevelopment in the region. While rain levels have remained pretty steady for the pastfew years, changes in land use, especially deforestation and urbanisation, that go handin hand with economic growth have led to worse flooding.

The main cause of flooding is rain run-off . While most rainfall is absorbed into the soiland lakes in rural areas, in concrete and stone-built towns and cities precipitationliterally swills around with nowhere to go.





Riverbed aggradation is most pronounced for the Ganges and its distributaries. Fromthe border with India to the point where the Ganges meets the Brahmaputra River, theriverbed has aggraded as much as 5-7 meters in recent years. The average width of theGanges has decreased from 1.27 km in 1973 to 1.01 km in 1985. Riverbed aggradationis so pronounced in Bangladesh that changes in riverbed level can be observed duringone's lifetime.

For example, the Old Brahmaputra River was navigable for steamers only about 30years ago, and is presently an abandoned channel. This situation is true for many other distributaries of the Ganges and Meghna Rivers, such as the Madhumati, Bhairab,Chitra, Gorai, Ghorautra Rivers, etc. Riverbed aggradation reduces the water carryingcapacity of rivers, causing floods due to bank overflow. Siltation of riverbeds in rivers innorthern Bihar has been reported in recent years. This recent increase in riverbed levelshas undoubtedly contributed to the increased flooding propensity (M. Khalequzzaman,2004).

Structural solutions, such as the building of embankments along the rivers andpolders in coastal regions in Bangladesh, will not solve the flooding problems, but will

result in many adverse environmental, hydrologic, economic, ecological, and geologicconsequences. Solutions to flooding problems can be achieved by adopting andexercising watershed-scale best management practices.

Deforestation does much the same thing in rural areas, removing vital tree and shrubroots that help hold the water in the soil. The worst floods this year have happened inthe areas of greatest economic and urban expansion, China and India. In China 381people have died from rainfall-related disasters since the beginning of the year, with 98people still missing and 45.7 million affected, according to the State Flood Control andDrought Relief Headquarters. Last year floods in China claimed more than 1,900 livesby October and left millions homeless. The worst floods in recent years happened in1998 when more than 4,000 people died.

Meanwhile, in South Asia deaths continue to mount as monsoon rains cause floods ineastern India and in Bangladesh more than 11 million people of the country's 140 millionhave been affected by similar deluges. All facts and figures from various departmentsshow the flooding this year is among the worst in living memory. It is the worst since thedevastating floods following the great Indian earthquake in 1950.

At least 23 million people have been hit by the floods in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India andNepal, which began with the annual monsoon rains mid-June, according to latestestimates by authorities in the four countries. The total number of dead or missing inIndia stands at 178, in Nepal 86, in Bhutan three and 16 in Afghanistan, according to anAFP tally based on official figures. Media reports say the overall toll may be far higher.

Tens of thousands of people in India's eastern Bihar and northeastern Assam states,meanwhile, are trapped on rooftops or high ground awaiting rescue, as the army andairforce mount massive operations to reach remote areas and airdrop food packets andwater purifying tablets.

Many of these criteria were satisfied in 1988 in Bangladesh when both the Ganges andthe Brahmalutra burst their banks affecting 45 million people directly. 30 million peoplewere made homeless, 2 million tons of crop were lost, over 3000 people died and morethan 100,000 caught water-borne diseases



Dhaka: Ecological Disaster

The flood-prone capital runs the risk of edging towards an ecological disaster as most flood-flow zones and water bodies have been filled up over the years in a disturbing sign of recklessurban growth. The filling-up of vast areas in Ashulia, Banashree, Aftabnagar, Meradia, Baunia,Badda, Amin Bazar and Hatirjheel, known as water catchments, increased the hazards of floodsthat swamped much of the city. The Dhaka Master Plan has clearly marked these areas for floodretention and the Wetland Conservation Act, 2000 bars land development in water bodies.

According to the Conservation Act, no-one has the right to develop wetlands, flood-flow zones or catchments. But developers and landowners have illegally occupied and filled up the areas. Aerial photos show how water bodies are narrowing down because of land filling. “The government alsoviolates laws. The government plans to develop the city's last remaining water body in Hatirjheelarea, spelling a disaster for the city," said Professor Nurul Hasan, chairman of Urban PlanningDepartment at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology.Experts said the areas could consume a huge volume of floodwaters and protect many areasfrom flooding. Moreover, the city had canals, 26 water-reservoirs, hundreds of small and large

ponds and marshlands which preserved overflowing water while the canals sent it into differentchannels.

"If we had saved the water bodies, canals and ponds, it could have consumed a third of floodwater," said Selim Bhuiyan, executive engineer of the Flood Forecasting and WarningCentre of the Water Development Board (WDB).A 1992 survey conducted by Flood Action Plan (FAP) under WDB, the area of Dhaka is 118.62square kilometres, while it has about 736 hectares of water bodies that are only 6 percent of thetotal area. "The flood-prone and densely populated city requires 25 percent wetland and water bodies for flood control, breathing space and sustainable habitats of flora and fauna," Nurul Hasansaid.Last year, a developer engaged more than 100 dredgers for dumping millions of cubic metres of earth in the large wetland, Ashulia, which is under the flood action plan-zone 8A. It planned tocreate 35,000 plots on 6,000 bighas.Apart from this project, the developer has grabbed more than 73 acres of government land inAshulia.

Rajuk filed a case under clauses 5 and 8 of the Wetland Conservation Act against the developer with Savar Police Station. The developer was accused of illegally occupying wetland in Ashuliaand filling it up without an official clearance

The low-lying areas near Rampura towards the Balu river, which is now called Aftabnagar under the flood action plan zone 8B, have also been grabbed. "It has made the drainage system in Dhaka

vulnerable. Now it will be a serious barrier to the recession of floodwaters," a WDB official said.The government planned to impose regulations on real estate developers to control the trend of filling up low-lying lands. It was supposed to formulate a separate policy for regulating theunplanned growth of the high-rise buildings. The housing and public works ministry last year initiated the plan, which is now shelved. Housing and Public Works Minister Mirza Abbas saidthe Wetland Protection Act would be strictly enforced from now on to ensure environmental balance and flooding.



The ministry will demarcate 'all flood flow zones' around the city on the basis of the DhakaMaster Plan and aerial photos and make a public announcement soon, giving clear guidelines for real estate development(Sultana Rahman, August 2, 2004).

Unplanned urbanisation

Unplanned urbanisation and inadequate drainage systemhave made the city a helpless victim of flooding due to thethree-day downpour, disrupting the lives of millions of citydwellers. Urban experts blamed the indifference of theauthorities concerned, especially Rajdhani UnnayanKartripakhya, for failure to stop the unabated filling up of water bodies and low-lying areas in and around the city, and for giving approval to high-rise buildings without considering the drainage and sewerageinfrastructure. Besides, the inadequate and dilapidated drainage network of the Dhaka

Water Supply and Sewerage Authority is also blamed for the persistent water-loggingduring monsoon.

"The intensity of the three-day downpour is unprecedented and any other city wouldhave been flooded. But the extensiveness of the flood could have been prevented if wehad a proper drainage system," urban planning expert Professor Nazrul Islam told NewAge on Tuesday. He said that the drainage system does not only mean there have to besome sewerage and drainage lines. "Besides the sewerage and drainage network allthe natural reservoirs like ponds, lakes and canals help to drain water," he said.

"But about 19 canals and natural reservoirs in the city are now filled up due toencroachment and unplanned urbanisation, which has made the city vulnerable to floodduring prolonged rainfall," Islam said. Besides, low-lying areas around the city includingareas in Savar, Ashulia and eastern areas are now being filled up in the name of so-called city development, resulting in water-logging in the city even after a little shower.According to urban experts, encroachment on natural water reservoirs includingKatasur Khal, Ramchandrapur Khal, Segunbagicha Khal, Jirani Khal, Shahjahanpur Khal, Mohakhali Khal and Kalyanpur Khal is the major reason the city suffers fromwater-logging.

They said encroachment on Katasur Khal is the main cause of water-logging in theRayerbazar and Mohammadpur areas. Encroachment on the Ramchandrapur canal isalso responsible for water-logging in the Islambagh, Nawabganj and Hazaribagh areas.A more than 30-meter wide open channel in the southern part of the city, Dholai Khal,was replaced with a 2.5 metre by 2.5 metre box culvert. Narrowing the canal has led towater-logging in the BUET, Bakhsibazar, Hosnidalan, Nimtali, Nazimuddin Road,Bangshal, KA Road, Aga Sadek Road, Gandaria, Postogola and Faridabad areas.

WASA's managing director, ANH Akhtar Hossain, admitted that the drainage system of the city is inadequate as the network covers only 38 per cent of the city areas. But healso blamed unplanned urbanisation for the current state of water-logging in the city. "Allthe peripheral low-lying areas are now being filled up by the private builders and evenby Rajuk, causing water-logging in the city," he said. "Covering the surface of many



areas in the city has also increased over the years. The water has nowhere to go butthe roads and houses," he said. Hossain also blamed the lack of proper planning by thecity development authorities and the non-enforcement of regulations.

"No low-lying areas and canals have so far been demarcated and made off-limits by thecity's development authorities, giving the private developers the chance to encroach on

them," he said. The water supply agency's managing director said that they have sent alist of the canals of the city that have been encroached on and government has alreadystarted the process of reclaiming them. Rajuk's chairman and chief engineer were notavailable for comment (New Age Sept. 15, 2004).

Modhumoti Model Town: Lawful breach of the law

A realty company has for long been filling up a vast areain the flood-flow zone near Amin Bazar to develop ahousing estate in defiance of the city's master plan andthe city planners, with an unexpected backing of thecountry's higher courts. The developer, Metromakersand Developers Limited, is filling 350 acres of swampyland in two mouzas, Bilmalia and Baliarpur, at the cityoutskirts to build a township christened Modhumoti Model Town.

Both the mouzas are in the Dhaka west flood-flow zone, where Dhaka MetropolitanDevelopment Plan (1995-2015) specifically discouraged any real estate development."This is a flood plane and all development should be discouraged here to enable freeflow of floodwater. There will be considerable negative effect on the surrounding areas if natural flow of floodwater is prevented," warned urban planning experts in the plan.Experts think this year's prolonged flooding in the capital was partly a payback for themassive land filling in the flood-flow zone and other low-lying areas.

Metromakers has not only obtained no permission of Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha

(Rajuk) for the earth filling but actually has been forbidden it several times by the cityplanning authorities. "Metromakers is registered with the Rajuk as a real estatedeveloper. But we neither approved its Modhumoti Model Town project nor permitted tofill land in the flood-flow zone," said Rajuk Member (Administration and Land) H MZahurul Haq.

The High Court on September 1 vacated yet another stay of the project work that it hadordered earlier upon a petition of Bangladesh Environment Lawyer's Association (Bela)filed on August 14 against the Rajuk and Modhumoti. In that writ, the court had barredall activities including land filling, advertisement, and sales and purchase of Modhumotiplots. Ironically, with repeal of the stay orders, Metromakers is now authorised by lawcourt to break city laws (P. Roy, September, 2004)..

Mitigating flood disaster through river course stabilisationFlood control measures must not alter natural systemBack to Content

3. Desertification and DroughtBangladesh is fed through 57 trans-boundary rivers, 54 of them entering from India. Themajor proportion of the water is being withdrawn from these rivers during dry season

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causing havoc to agriculture, irrigation, fisheries, navigation, forestry, power system,economy and the environment of the lower riparian Bangladesh.

This unilateral withdrawal of river flows from theGanges since 1975 through the construction of theFarakka Barrage by India has threatened the

ecological balance in the south-western part of Bangladesh, and will turn this entire area into aridland if the river flows are not re-established. Around123 miles of four rivers, along with the Ganges,have become non-navigable due to the formation of shoals, and soil degradation has affectedagriculture.

India has undertaken a multi-million dollar project to maximise the utilisation of flows of the rivers in her territory. Under the ambitious project 37 rivers in her territory will belinked to an exchange regime with around thirty other river catchments. TheBrahmaputra river is now the main source of dry season flow into Bangladesh. Till now

there has been no significant withdrawal from the Brahmaputra in the upstream. Under the project that India is currently pursuing to divert her river flows, it is apprehended thatwithdrawal of water from the Brahmaputra will create havoc to the environment of Bangladesh and accelerate the process of desertification.

INDIA-BANGLADESH: 21st CENTURY BATTLE FOR WATER SHARING

The Indian Foreign Minister Natwar Singh has proposed that they will sit withcounterparts from Nepal, Bhutan and China for a permanent solution of the floodproblem. This is the first time that India has agreed to involve China in the process. Theprime minister Manmohan Singh has also constituted a panel to recommend a solutionto the floods within six months. It is unfortunate that the Indian authorities are notincluding Bangladesh in their scheme of things. Bangladesh should request India to

involve the lower riparian as well (The Bangladesh Observer, 28 July, 2004).

Drought is an abnormal condition where there is lack of sufficient water to meet thenormal needs of agriculture, livestock, industry, or for human use.While generallyassociated with semi-arid or desert climates, drought can also occur in areas thatnormally enjoy adequate rainfall, and moisture levels (ADB, 1991).

Drought is the result of insufficient or no rainfall for an extended period, and causes aconsiderable hydrological (water) imbalance. The ensuing water shortage leads tostream flow reduction, depletion of ground water and soil moisture, and hence, cropdamage. In drought conditions, evaporation and transpiration exceed normal levels. If itcontinues for a prolonged period, a serious threat is posed to agricultural production.

In agricultural context drought affects the rice production most. Due to drought severity,crop loss ranges between 20->60 per cent for T. Aman and other rice varieties (Iqbal,2000). It is one of the most insidious causes of human misery.

It is considered as a drought in India, if annual rainfall is less than 75 per cent. On thisbasis, 13.2 per cent of India's surface area faces drought more than every three year.1970s and 1980s were the decades of drought. As in Africa, there is a widespread fear that climate is changing for the drier. In India a study of vegetation and rainfall records

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over the past 100 years has shown that deforestation tends to be accompanied by bothlower rainfall and fewer rainy days (Bandyopadhyay, 1989). According to climatologistK. Hare (1984) human interference may be prolonging and intensifying the dry spellsnatural to the climate.

The drought of 1979 was one of the severest in recent times. The percentage of

drought-affected areas was 31.63 per cent in 1951, 46.54 per cent in 1957, 37.47 per cent in 1958, 22.39 per cent in 1961, 18.42 per cent in 1966, 42.48 per cent in 1972,and 42.04 per cent in 1979 (Chowdhury and Hussain 1981). During 1981 and 1982,drought affected the production of the monsoon crop only.

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4. WARN OF A GREAT HIMALAYAN QUAKEAmong the most dramatic and visible creations of plate-tectonic forces are the loftyHimalayas, which stretch 2,900 km along the border between India and Tibet. Thisimmense mountain range began to form between 40 and 50 million years ago, whentwo large landmasses, India and Eurasia, driven by plate movement, collided. Because

both these continental landmasses have about the same rock density, one plate couldnot be subducted under the other. The pressure of the impinging plates could only berelieved by thrusting skyward, contorting the collision zone, and forming the jaggedHimalayan peaks.

About 225 million years ago, India was a large island stillsituated off the Australian coast, and a vast ocean (calledTethys Sea) separated India from the Asian continent. WhenPangaea broke apart about 200 million years ago, Indiabegan to forge northward. By studying the history -- and ultimately the closing-- of theTethys, scientists have reconstructed India's northward journey.

About 80 million years ago, India was located roughly 6,400 kmsouth of the Asian continent, moving northward at a rate of about9 m a century. When India rammed into Asia about 40 to 50million years ago, its northward advance slowed by about half.The collision and associated decrease in the rate of platemovement are interpreted to mark the beginning of the rapid upliftof the Himalayas.

The Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau to the north have risenvery rapidly. In just 50 million years, peaks such as Mt. Everest have risen to heights of more than 9 km. The impinging of the two landmasses has yet to end. The Himalayascontinue to rise more than 1 cm a year -- a growth rate of 10 km in a million years! If that is so, why aren't the Himalayas even higher? Scientists believe that the EurasianPlate may now be stretching out rather than thrusting up, and such stretching wouldresult in some subsidence due to gravity.

The India Plate is part of the great Indo-Australian Plate, which underlies the IndianOcean and Bay of Bengal, and is drifting northeast at an average of 5 cm/yr (2 in/yr) (or 15 m (50 ft) per 300 years), relative to the Burma Plate. The Burma Plate carries theNicobar and Andaman Islands and northern Sumatra, and is pushed by the Sunda Plateto its east. Both the Burma and Sunda Plates are considered portions of the great





Eurasian Plate.

The tectonic activity that results as these platesscrape against each other led to the creation of theSunda Arc. The 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake wasan undersea megathrust earthquake of momentmagnitude 9.0 that struck the Indian Ocean off thewestern coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia onDecember 26, 2004 at 00:58:49 UTC (07:58:49 localtime in Jakarta and Bangkok). It was the largestearthquake on Earth since the 9.2-magnitude GoodFriday Earthquake which struck Alaska, USA, onMarch 27, 1964, and the fourth largest since 1900.Tens of thousands were killed by the resultingtsunamis, which were as high as 15 m and struck between 15 minutes and 3 hours after the quake, causing one of the most cataclysmic disasters in modern history.

The hypocenter was at 3.298°N, 95.779°E, some 160 km(100 mi) west of Sumatra, at a depth of 10 km (6.2 mi)underwater, within the "Ring of Fire" zone of frequentearthquakes. The quake itself (apart from the tsunamis)was felt as far away as Bangladesh, India, Malaysia,Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and the Maldives.

The earthquake was unusually large in geographicalextent. An estimated 1,200 km (740 mi) of faultline slipped 15 m (50 ft) along thesubduction zone where the India Plate dives under the Burma Plate. This formed ashock wave in the Indian Ocean, creating tsunamis that traveled at up to 800 km/h (500

mi/h) (USGS, 2004).

Traditional lifestyle saved dwindling aboriginal population in Andaman

PORT BLAIR, India (Reuters) - India's dwindling aboriginal population in the remote Andamanand Nicobar islands is safe as most lived in jungles, far away from the coast hit by a devastatingtsunami, a coast guard official said on Thursday. Experts had feared that some Stone Age tribal people, who have been living on the far-flung archipelago for thousands of years, could be on theverge of extinction after the killer waves that have killed more than 120,000 people across Asia."There have been several media reports talking about a threat to the aborigines, indigenous peopleand tribals of the islands," Vice Admiral Arun Kumar Singh, director-general of the Coast Guard,

which is involved in rescue operations, told reporters. "I have personally verified the extent of thisclaim and let me tell you that it is absolutely rubbish."

The Andaman and Nicobar group is a cluster of more than 550 islands, of which only about threedozen are inhabited. The island chain is home to about six tribes of Mongoloid and Negrito origin.Many of the indigenous people are semi-nomadic and subsist on hunting with spears, bows andarrows as well as fishing and gathering fruit and roots. They still cover themselves with tree bark or leaves (Reuter, December 30, 2004).



Major earthquakes occurring along subduction zones areespecially hazardous, because they can trigger tsunamis(from the Japanese word tsunami meaning "harbor wave")and pose a potential danger to coastal communities andislands.Tsunamis are often mistakenly called "tidal waves" when,in fact, they have nothing to do with tidal action. Rather,tsunamis are seismic sea waves caused by earthquakes,submarine landslides, and, infrequently, by eruptions of island volcanoes. During a major earthquake, the seafloor can move by several meters and an enormous amount of water is suddenly set into motion, sloshing back and forth for several hours. The resultis a series of waves that race across the ocean at speeds of more than 800 km per hour, comparable to those of commercial jetliners.

The energy and momentum of these transoceanic waves can take them thousands of kilometers from their origin before slamming into far-distant islands or coastal areas.

The 1883 eruption of Krakatau Volcano, located in the Sunda Straits between theislands of Sumatra and Java, Indonesia, provides an excellent example of an eruption-caused tsunami. A series of tsunamis washed away 165 coastal villages on Java andSumatra, killing 36,000 people. The larger tsunamis were recorded by tide gauges asfar away as the southern coast of the Arabian Peninsula-more than 7,000 km fromKrakatau!

Collision between the Indian and Eurasian plates

The collision between the Indian and Eurasianplates has pushed up the Himalayas and theTibetan Plateau.The Himalayan mountain

range dramatically demonstrates one of themost visible and spectacular consequences of plate tectonics. When two continents meethead-on, neither is subducted because thecontinental rocks are relatively light and, liketwo colliding icebergs, resist downwardmotion. Instead, the crust tends to buckle and be pushed upward or sideways. Thecollision of India into Asia 50 million years ago caused the Eurasian Plate to crumple upand override the Indian Plate. After the collision, the slow continuous convergence of the two plates over millions of years pushed up the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateauto their present heights. Most of this growth occurred during the past 10 million years.The Himalayas, towering as high as 8,854 m above sea level, form the highest

continental mountains in the world. Moreover, the neighboring Tibetan Plateau, at anaverage elevation of about 4,600 m, is higher than all the peaks in the Alps except for Mont Blanc and Monte Rosa, and is well above the summits of most mountains in theUnited States

Cartoon cross sections showing the meeting of these two plates before and after their collision. The reference points (small squares) show the amount of uplift of an imaginarypoint in the Earth's crust during this mountain-building process:



As Bangladesh is located close to the boundary of twoactive plates (Indian plate in the west and Eurasian plate inthe east and north) the country has always been under

threat of an earthquake that might be so catastrophic it willkill people in less than a minute. With the frequency of earthquakes on the increase, it is natural for people to bescared as experts consider them to be advance warning of what lies ahead. And with tremors in the Chittagong regionincreasing in frequency, experts believe we can expect amajor one any day.A tremor with intensity of 5. 1. on the Richter scale on July22, 1999, left at least six people killed in the country'ssoutheastern Maheshkhali (Chittagong district).

Bangladesh can be divided into three main earthquake zones:

• Zone 1: Syleht-Mymensingh is with the possible magnitude of 7 onRichter scale.

• Zone 2: Chittagong-Comilla-Dhaka and Tangail are with the possiblemagnitude of 6 on Richter scale.

• Zone 3: Rest of the country is with possible magnitude of 6 on Richter scale.

The entire northern region from lalmonirhat to Bogora and greater Mymensingh andSyleht are prone to powerful earthquake. The recent rise and mushroom growth of high-rise buildings in and around Dhaka and other main cities could be great disaster, if amajor tremor of the magnitude is over 7 on richter scale. There has been no effective

post-quake disaster management programme that could tackle emergency.The narrow belt facing the Shillong Plateau is, as we know, prone to earthquakes andthough it may be possible to depend on proven technologies provided we have theequipment, this in turn will be dependent on it being given proper publicity. For examplealthough a team of earthquake specialists from the United States issued a warning thatBangladesh could be rocked by major earthquakes in the near future, few people heardabout it, yet the warning was based on a study showing that shifting tectonic plates



below the earth's crust and other pre-earthquake phenomena had turned this possibilityinto a threat.

A recently published UN report identifies Dhaka and Tehran as earthquake-prone citiesand makes the ominous prediction that if these cities are hit by earthquake reaching 6on the Richter scale then the death toll would reach upto 8 million. If Dhaka experiences

a major earthquake, then the most vulnerable area would be the old part of the city.Unplanned construction, dilapidated buildings and narrow alleys make this part a highdanger zone.

Major Earthquakes Affecting Bangladesh:

Date Name of Earthquake Magnitude (Richter)

10 January, 1869 Cachar Earthquake 7.5

14 July, 1885 Bengal Earthquake 7.0

12 June, 1897 Great Indian Earthquake 8.7

8 July, 1918 Srimongal Earthquake 7.3

2 July, 1930 Dhuri Earthquake 7.115 January, 1934 Bihar-Nepal Earthquake 7.0

15 August Assam Earthquake 8.5

Several lines of evidence show that one or more great earthquakes may be overdue inthe Gangetic belt below the Himalayas threatening millions of people in thethickly populated region ( Science, 2001).

Roger Bilham and Peter Molnar of the University of Colorado and Vinod K. Gaur of theIndian Institute for Astrophysics in Bangalore base their grim conclusions on severallines of evidence. Geophysical data, they note, demonstrate that India's basement rockflexes and slides beneath the Himalaya much like the earthquake-ridden subducting

oceanic crust. Second, satellite-based measurements reveal that India and southernTibet are colliding and converging at a rate of about two meters a century, and that arelatively small swathe of the Tibetan Plateau's southern edge is absorbing most of thisconvergence. Third, the team observes, in the Himalaya, potential slip accumulates aselastic, rather than inelastic, strain. As such, massive earthquakes may well offer theonly release for the mounting convergence strain in this belt.

"The main driving engine in the system is the movement of the Indian plate, which windsup the Greater Himalaya like a giant spring compressed against the Himalayan plateau.Deep beneath Tibet, India slides northward with relative ease," Bilham explains. "Weknow the inevitable outcome. The lock holding the spring will break, propelling theHimalaya southward in a giant earthquake." He adds that "to have the Indian and

Himalayan plates unzip to remove the geologic stress requires one or more giantearthquakes to occur."

Maximum Earthquake Magitude in different Tectonic Blocks:

Tectonic block Maximum Magnitude of Earthquake (Richter)

1. Bogra fault zone 7.0

2. Tripura fault zonr 7.0



3. Sub Dauki fault zone 7.3

4. Shillong Plateau 7.0

5. Assam fault zone 8.5

Bilham and Molnar suggest that up to seven earthquakes in the 8.1 to 8.3 magnitude

range are overdue in this region. Considering past human tolls from earthquakes andthe population increases that have occurred since then, the authors estimate that200,000 people could perish in a single quake. If a massive earthquake strikes near oneof the heavily populated cities in the Ganges Plain, however, "such an estimate may betoo low by an order of magnitude."

The capital cities of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Pakistan and severalother cities with more than a million inhabitants are vulnerable to damage from some of these future earthquakes. "Today, about 50 million people are at risk from greatHimalayan earthquakes, many of them in towns and villages in the Ganges plain," themagazine warns in a paper written by three researchers.

Prefacing their report with a reference to the Bhuj earthquake, the researchers say "it

focused the eyes of the public away from a part of India where even worse damage andloss of life should be expected." The areas below the Himalayas are just grinding withstrain and even a repeat of the relatively small 1905 Kangra quake could cause 200,000predictable fatalities.

"Such an estimate may be too low by an order of magnitude should a great earthquakeoccur near one of the megacities in the Ganges Plain (where the urban population aloneexceeds 40 million)," the paper warns. It gives no timeframe of when such a megaquake can occur.

Tibet converge at 20 mm (± 3 mm) per yea

According to the researchers, Global Positioning System (GPS) measurements show

that India and southern Tibet converge at 20 mm (± 3 mm) per year. A 50-km-wideregion centered on the southern edge of the Tibetan Plateau strains to absorb about80% of this convergence. The surrounding Himalaya accommodates the remaining20%. Two meters of potential slip in earthquakes thus accumulate each century (incontrast, control points in southern India approach each other no faster than a fewmillimeters per year.)

"Earthquakes must therefore release most, if not all, of India's 2 m per centuryconvergence with southern Tibet," the paper concludes.

According to the researchers, although the major earthquakes that have occurred alongthe Himalayas since 1800 differed in dimensions, less than half of the Himalaya has

ruptured in that period. When they divided the central Himalaya into 10 regions, withlengths roughly corresponding to those of great Himalayan ruptures (~220 km), theyfound six of these regions currently have a slip potential of at least 4m - equivalent tothe slip inferred for the 1934 earthquake.

This implies that each of these regions now stores the strain necessary for such anearthquake. Moreover, the historic record has no great earthquake throughout most of



the Himalaya since 1700, suggesting that the slip potential may exceed 6 m in someplaces.

Even if only one segment has stored potential slip comparable to that of the 1950Assam earthquake, the largest intracontinental earthquake in recorded history, areplication of that earthquake along the more populous segments of the Himalaya would

be devastating.Fund shortage hinders activities of Earthquake Research Centre

Earthquake Engineering Research Center (EERC), country's lone high profile institutededicated to research on earthquake engineering has been carrying out wide range of activities on research, training and mass awareness to minimize the possible loss of human lives and properties from such unpredictable natural disasters like tremors,reports BSS.

EERC sources said acute fund crisis from the very beginning of its inception in late1999 has virtually stopped its activities and that the center has failed to achieve theexpected progress. Because of fund constraints, the center also could not conductdifferent types of academic and research works.

An institute under the Department of Civil Engineering of Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET), EERC plans to innovate appropriate butfinancially affordable technologies and methods on how to build earthquake proof concrete structures, easy determination of the intensity and magnitude of tremors andstrengthening of earthen houses in rural areas by using low cost materials.

Some of the important research works now going on in the center include earthquakevulnerability study on the concrete structures of hospitals, educational institutions,residential buildings, liquefaction potentials and also lifeline structures like electricity,

gas, water supply systems in Chittagong city areas.

Intensive studies are also going on under EERC to find out sustainability of concretehollow blocks to increase the earthquake resistance, standardization of mild steel (asbuilding materials) to prevent earthquake, increase the properties of cementmanufactured by factories in the country, seismic design of masonry buildings andinstallation of earthquake intensity measuring fields.

Dr. Alam expressed his deep disappointment while stating that no significant step hasbeen taken by the authorities concerned so far to the 9-point proposal submitted byEERC two years ago to the Disaster Management Board under the Ministry of Relief

and Disaster Management for pre and post earthquake management.

He cautioned that a "strike by an earthquake measuring nearly 7 on the Richter Scalemay led to heavy damage of human lives and properties in the densely populatedmetropolis in the country due to lack of awareness and necessary preparations".

In this context, he said it is not a matter to be resolved overnight but a well organizedand practical plan which is needed to face such unpredictable natural catastrophe and



also keeping in mind that time is running out fast as Bangladesh is located in one of themost earthquake vulnerable zone in the world (Bangladesh Observer, 4 August, 2004).

Now more than 15 millon population lives in Dhaka or Kolkatta, can you imagineaftermath of a quake at richter scale 7?

The major faults and lineaments of Dhaka city

Along Bagunbari KhaL, trending east-west in the southern part of the city.Along an abandoned channel, in the Uttara area, across Zia Interna tional Airport,

trending north-south in the northern part of the city.Along the Turag River, in Mirpur near Dhaka Zoo, trending north-south in the western

part of the city.

The lineaments are:

Along the edge of the depression from Khilkhet to Jatrabari, trending north-south inthe central part of the city.

Along the edge of the depression in the southern part of Dakhin Khan, trendingsouth-west in the eastern part of the city -Along the edge of the depression in the

western part of Uttara, trending north-south in the northern part of the city.Along the edge of the depression in the Pallabi area, trending north-south in the

northern part of the city.Along the branch of the Turag River, trending northeast-southwest.Along Tongi Khal, in the Tongi-Uttar Khan area, trending east-west at the northern

limit of the city.Along the Buriganga River at the southern limit of the city, trending southwest-

northeast.Along the old natural levee, in the Mohammadpur area, trending north-south

Recent earthquake in Chittagong has created a panic in the minds of the inhabitants of Dhaka city also, especially those who are living in high-rise buildings. Many of them

have had no scope to know the quality of construction of the buildings or their properlyregulated design and construction. Construction materials and their quality are also amajor unknown factor. Many of the people are hostage to developers or land lords i.e.owners of buildings. Many of them are quite happy and spending their lives as usual butsuddenly the earth quake jolts have plunged them in great anxiety and discomfort.

Dhaka ill prepared for quake disaster

Dhaka stands perilously on an earthquake hotspot and only just narrowly escaped the massivequake in the southern Asia measured at 7.36 on the Richter scale in Chittagong Sunday morning."If a tremor of an intensity of 7 hits the capital, at least a quarter of its houses will collapse. The

percentage will shoot up to 42 percent if the intensity is 8," says Prof Jamilur Reza Choudhury,vice chancellor of Brac University and an expert in structural engineering. He says, in case of alarge earthquake "the number of deaths will be at least several thousands, with wounded in lakhs".Choudhury puts Dhaka, which houses about 13 million people and an unbelievable number of poorly constructed, dilapidated buildings, at the top of an earthquake disaster risk index of theworld's 20 most vulnerable cities he had prepared back in 1998.



Experts say Bangladesh is seismically active. The occurrences of earthquakes of an averagemagnitude of 5 in the Richter scale are quite frequent, especially in the eastern region. Accordingto them, micro-seismic data indicate that at least four earthquake source-points exist in andaround the capital. They identify the western part of the city from Mirpur-Kalyanpur to Pagla

along the Buriganga River and the eastern part from Uttar Khan-Badda to Demra along the BaluRiver as the two most high-risk zones.

The rate of strain accumulation is also high in the city's subsoil, which in case of a release maycause a tremor of an intensity of 6.8 in the Richter scale, experts say. The shallow subsurface of the city is also characterised by a number of faults. Luckily, Dhaka has not experienced anymoderate to large earthquakes in the recent past. Yet the earthquake on December 19, 2001 of amagnitude of 4.5 and a focal depth of 10km located very close to the city is a certain indication of its vulnerability (Daily Star, December 28, 2004).

If we look at the old buildings constructed during the British regime, we will notice that

most of the large buildings are two-storied, symmetrical i.e. same plan in ground floor and first floor, thick walls (wall thickness as much as 2 to 3 feet) on wide foundationsusing lime mortars in all bonding layers. These buildings lasted for many years andeven the great earthquake of 1897 and 1935 could not destroy them. Later withadvanced building technology and knowledge, we started making 3 to 4 storiedbuildings on 10-inch wall in cement mortar and concrete slab roofs, often unsymmetricalon the top level plan with wall to wall wide open windows.

In the 1897 earthquake, the 33-metre high Shree Chaitanya Bijoy Stambha (Minar) of Joypurhat collapsed. The 9 Ratnas (Minars) of the Great Kanta Temple of Dinajpur Maharaja shared the same fate but the palace made of small bricks in thick lime mortar was intact.

In the USA, frequent earthquake happens in California, as in Japan. There is the"Standard for Structural Design of Masonry Construction" and "Japan ArchitecturalStandard Specifications (JASS)". They specify that:

Brick buildings should not exceed 9 metres in height.They should not have window opening exceeding 33 per cent of the wall area.There should be tie at the plinth level, lintel level and under the roof slab.There should be no cantilever or protruding windows or veranda.Domes and arches are more liable to collapse.

If one wants to live in safety one should follow the above rules. It is wise to build a two-storied house and if more stories are required then go for an RCC framed building

designed and built as per building codes ( Prof. M. Harunar Rashid, 2003).If Dhaka experiences a major earthquake, then the most vulnerable area would be theold part of the city. Unplanned construction, dilapidated buildings and narrow alleysmake this part a high danger zone. To make the people ready for an emergency theMinistry of Relief and Disaster has planned to carry out a mock earthquake drill in theold part of the city after Eid. Meanwhile, all ministries have been asked if they aresufficiently equipped to deal with such a situation. Discussion is going on withembassies of countries with a history of earthquakes, and there is an initiative to buy



post-earthquake rescue instruments through a joint SAARC proposal. An earthquake ona 'moderate scale' could create devastation in Dhaka, with hundreds of buildingscollapsing, and rescue workers being unable to launch any effective rescue operationdue to the complete lack of supportive equipment, according to sources in theGeographical Survey of Bangladesh (GSB). "75 per cent of the city's population areextremely vulnerable to serious tremors.

80 per cent of all buildings in Dhaka have been constructed on weak filling materials onlow-lying areas with poor foundations without any regard to the dangers that may lieahead. However, neither the Department of Disaster Management nor the Departmentof Fire Brigade and Civil Defense lack trained manpower or equipment to manage anybig disaster like an earthquake

Officials have warned that, "thousands of these buildings would collapse like sandcastles in case of a moderately strong tremor" measuring about 5.2 on the Richter scale.

Oct 14, 2004: Speakers at a workshop here yesterday said that at least 42 per centhouses in the metropolis would be destroyed if a major earthquake hits the capital

city. "Since we are living with natural calamities like cyclone, flood and drought, we mustface the aftermath of earthquake with courage and fortitude," they said. The workshoptitled "Society-based Earthquake Disaster Management" was organised jointly by DhakaCity Corporation (DCC), OXFAM and the Bangladesh Disaster Preparedness Centre(BDPC) at the Nagar Bhaban here (BSS; October 14, 2004).

One-third of capital (Dhaka) 'most vulnerable' to tremor

A recent research has found that about one-third area of the Dhaka city is "most vulnerable" to earthquake, andhigh-rise buildings, especially those between 9 and 14storeys in height, will not be able to withstand a mid-level

earthquake because of the city's typical soilcharacteristics. Even 5-8 storey buildings will bevulnerable in some areas, including Bashundhara, low-lying parts of Rampura, Rupnagar to Duaripara in Mirpur,and Gabtoli to Rayerbazar embankment areas, because these areas have beenrecently filled with clay and silty materials.

Dr ASM Maksud Kamal, an assistant professor of geology, in association with Professor Saburoh Midorikawa of the Tokyo Institute of Technology, has completed the three-year-long research project recently. As part of the research, a micro-zoning map detailing thesoil and its seismic characteristics in Dhaka city areas up to a depth of 30 metres hasalso been made for the first time in the country. The micro-zoning map, which deals with

the effects of local geology in a detailed scale for code-based structural design, isextensively used for urban land use planning and remedial measures for protection of the existing structures and facilities from earthquake.

According to the researcher, a seismic micro-zoning study has been conducted for theDhaka city area, which also covers the Turag and Balu rivers and the Tongi canalthrough GIS, remote sensing and micro-tremor data analyses. The study encompassessoil mapping, using the remote sensing techniques and borehole data up to a depth of 30 metres, he said. A total of 187 micro-tremor records have been collected from 187



points across the study area in digital format, and numerical analyses have been doneby computer programming in the Tokyo Institute of Technology.

Kamal told New Age that three factors - such as source, path and site effects -contribute to the level of ground-shaking at a site during an earthquake, and the effectsof surface sediment in the site is more critical than the other two factors. "Earthquake

records in different stations for the same earthquakes are different because of thedifferent soil characteristics of the sites. On the other hand, for different earthquakes,the same site gives almost the same type of records," he said He said during anearthquake, peak accelerations of certain incoming motions are amplified about 4 to 5times on the clay soils of old lakebeds, causing severe structural damage and humancasualties.

"Following the 1988 Armenian earthquake and 1989 San Francisco earthquake, wherethere were strong evidences of specific site response that contributed significantly to thelevel of damage, several attempts have been made to identify and appraise site-basedgeotechnical hazards and to represent them in the form of zoning maps," he told NewAge. The micro-zoning maps of the Dhaka city reveal that buildings of 9-14 storeys in

height are especially vulnerable. The high risk zone is about 100 square kilometres outof the 305 sq km of the study area.

For 9-14 storey buildings, the high-risk areas are Kamrangir Char, Rayer Bazar, Adabar,the lower part of Mirpur, Uttarkhan, Dakkhinkhan, Bashundhara, Badda, Banasri(Rampura), Meradia, Bashabo, Madhubagh, and part of Begunbari and Gulshan. Thebuildings of 5-8 stories are also very vulnerable to earthquake, especially in the filledsites of deep marshy land. "The high-rise buildings of between 15 to 20 stories areexposed to moderate hazard in most of the study areas. The filled sites of deep alluvial(sandy) valley, moderately deep alluvial valley and shallow marshy land exhibitmoderate hazard," said Kamal. The study also reveals that the buildings of up to four stories are relatively safe in Dhaka.

Kamal said considering the huge damage patterns of Mexico City, which was 350kmaway from the epicentre of the Michoacan earthquake in 1985, it can be apprehendedthat Dhaka might also experience a huge amount of damage from distant earthquakesas the modern urbanisation is rapidly advancing on the marshy land composed of thickand soft clay materials.

Dhaka belongs to the 20 most vulnerable cities of the world in term of the EarthquakeDisaster Risk Index due to poor quality of buildings and other structures, high populationdensity, and poor emergency response as well as recovery capabilities. Kamalsuggested that the people living in the high-risk zone should consult experiencedengineers and geologists before erecting high-rise buildings (New Age, November 20,2004).

Country more vulnerable to quake than tsunami

Bangladesh is relatively more vulnerable to earthquake than to tsunami. This wasobserved at a seminar on ‘Earthquake and tsunami: Vulnerability of Bangladesh,’organised by National Oceanographic and Maritime Institute (NOAMI) at Atomic EnergyCentre auditorium in the city yesterday. The northwestern zone of Bangladeshcomprising Sylhet area runs greater risk of earthquake than other zones of Bangladesh,speakers at the seminar said. Dhaka-Chittagong area comes next in order of



earthquake risk. Khulna-Satkhira area is less vulnerable to this natural disaster thanother areas. In event of a countrywide earthquake of colossal magnitude some 2.30crore people of Bangladesh will die, speakers said.

The speakers said, Dhaka, which is on of the 20 earthquake-prone cities of the worldwill experience deaths of 3 lakh people if an earthquake rocks it at midnight at 8 Richter

scale. In the event of an earthquake of such a magnitude 42 per cent of its buildings willcrumble to pieces. In the event of quake measuring 9 on the Richter scale, 63 per centof the buildings of the city will be destroyed (The Independent, April 9, 2005).

Tsunami may have caused untold ecological disaster

Male (Maldives : Besides causing immense loss to human life and property, tsunamismay have caused untold environmental damage, with reports of destroyed coral reefsand uprooted mangrove forests begin trickling in. While attention is clearly focused onthe rising human toll, some dive operators and marine biologists are reporting thatcorals are suffocating under layers of mud and heaps of rotten fish cloggingbeachfronts, and rare turtle nesting sites have been washed out to sea, reports Haveerunewspaper. "There is a huge natural cost but what it is, is still to be determined," saidLynne Hale, director of the global marine initiative for the Nature Conservancy, whoworked in Thailand's Phuket Island and Sri Lanka for many years. Both areas were hardhit by the tsunami. Now based in Rhode Island in the US, Hale said the tsunami mighthave caused lasting environmental damage that may take decades or longer to recover from. "This is a massive, massive erosion event," she said. A UN task force based inGeneva now plans to assess whether environmental damage threatens human healthand the toll on the ecological resources -- many of which support tourism and the fishingindustry. The Indian Ocean region, with its aqua, shallow seas, hosts some of the mostfamous coral reefs in the world that support scores of fish species found nowhere else.

Mangroves are critical nurseries for many varieties of fish. And the beaches of SriLanka, the Andaman and Nicobar islands and other places hit by the tsunami host primenesting spots for some of the world's rarest sea turtles. Scientists say they expectmarine life from shore to about a mile out to have suffered the worst damage. However,some biologists speculated that marine mammals such as whales and dolphinsswimming near shore when the tsunami struck may have sensed the strange seas andheaded for deeper waters where the giant waves were barely noticeable. Land animalsmay have had the same "sixth sense" to move to safety. Wildlife officials in Sri Lanka'sYala National Park said they have not seen evidence that many animals died, despitethe preserve's closeness to the ocean. Scientists don't have comprehensive historicaldata about marine damage that tsunamis can cause, especially one of this magnitude.They do know that in 1883, when the Krakatoa volcano exploded and sent a gianttsunami washing over Indonesia, coral heads that weighed hundreds of tons were

tossed hundreds of feet inland.And in 1964, when a tsunami hit Alaska, news reports noted that baby salmons werekilled, although it's unclear how many. This week, dive operators and researchers begansending e-mails to the WorldFish Center in Malaysia, an international fisheries researchcentre, painting an early bleak picture of the region's treasured coastal waters. OnPhuket Island, one popular beach was piled with dead stag horn coral, starfish, gulper eels, sea cucumbers and sea grasses. In the Maldives, dive operator Norbert Schmidtsaid the eastern part of the island was hit the worst, with dead coral and sand covering



the runway at Hulule International Airport. In Sri Lanka and Thailand, coral damage isreported to be severe, and trees have crashed down onto reefs, ripping apart many of the corals, some hundreds of years old. "Many fish washed ashore, trees that wereknocked down [smashed] into the reefs," Michiru Main, a researcher who wasconducting a reef survey at Mu Ko Surin, a popular dive spot in Thailand when thetsunami struck, said in an e-mail. "I can definitely say there is damage in the area."

Already stressed from fishing and tourism, many of the reefs may be covered in mud,which can block sunlight that fish and other organisms below them need. Meanwhile,corals, which only grow a fraction of an inch each year, may be excreting mucus as adefensive mechanism against the mud -- "expensive in terms of energy [that] weakensthe coral," e-mailed Marco Noordeloos of the WorldFish Centre. Noordeloos said fishpopulation have probably been damaged, too, although it's far too early to get acomplete picture. Some scientists said human activity in the coastal zone contributed tothe immense damage on shore -- such as building tourist hotels too close to the water and tearing out mangrove forests to put in shrimp aquaculture farms throughout Asia.

But others say that while the lack of mangrove forests probably exacerbated the

destruction, it's unlikely that they would have slowed the tsunami's enormous volume of water. "Maybe in East Africa where the waves weren't as high, but I'm not sure whenyou get a 40-foot wave a mangrove would have made a huge difference," saidresearcher Susi Moser (Indo-Asian News Service, Source: Team India News, January03, 2005).

Earthquake jolts Chittagong

Thousands of panicked residents came out of their housesafter an earthquake measuring 4.8 in the Richkter scale

jolted the Chittagong city Thursday afternoon. Seismicobservatory officials said the earthquake with its epicentre146 kilometres away from the port city lasted for 16seconds from 5-41-18 seconds. The police said no casualty

was reported nor was any news of major damage of property received. Some oldbuildings at different places in the city developed cracks, the police said (New Age, Staff Correspondent, Chittagong, July 22, 2005) .

90 per cent bldgs vulnerable to earth quake, NE Bangladesh (Syleht),Zone 1

Sylhet will be turned into a city of wrecked buildings and corpses buried under rubble if a strong earthquake takes place there, as 90 per cent of the buildings of the city locatedin the 'red zone', are vulnerable to quake. The financial losses caused by the collapse of buildings will be more than Tk. 500 crore and at least 37,000 people will die during an

earthquake of 7 to 9 degrees on the Richter scale. The reports of two separateresearches conducted by the Civil Engineering and Environmental Department and theSylhet Disaster Forum have disclosed this.

It is not possible for the authorities concerned to reduce the loss of lives by launching aspeedy rescue operation after such an earthquake in Sylhet city due to the lack of modem equipment and trained manpower, sources said. The work of the EarthquakeObservation Centre in Sylhet is yet to be started, even four years after the construction



of the building, as the necessary equipment, including the seismography machine, hasnot been supplied to the centre yet, sources said.

According to a research report by Professor Roger Bilham, a geologist of the UnitedStates, a wide-ranging earthquake will occur in the subcontinent, particularly in India,Myanmar and Bangladesh. He revealed this in August, 2001 after conducting research

on the tectonic plate of the subcontinent. The probability of such an earthquake inSylhet. especially its northern part, is very strong as it is located in the first zone of theearthquake-prone area of Bangladesh. Apart from Sylhet, other areas in the danger zone are Mymensingh, Rangpur and Chittagong districts.

Experts and researchers at different seminars arranged by the Sylhet Disaster Forumhave expressed their apprehension of the likelihood of a high-intensity earthquake inSylhet as earthquakes take place after an interval of about one hundred years in theearthquake-prone regions. There is a strong possibility of the occurrence of a highintensity earthquake in this region within a few years. They said mild earthquakes takeplace repeatedly in the earthquake-prone regions as foreshadows of a high-intensityone. So far at least 250 mild earthquakes have taken place in the Sylhet region from

1995 to 2003.About 37,000 thousand people may be killed if an earthquake of 5 to 7 degrees on theRichter scale or above occurs in Sylhet city. About 56 per cent of Sylhet city's buildings,both public and private, have been constructed without following the national buildingcode. Besides, Tilagar, Majortila, a part of the Shahjalal Upashahar and South Surmaarea in the city are not suitable for multi-story buildings (Independent, September 23,2005).

Bangladesh susceptible to earthquakes

Bangladesh is susceptible to earthquakes due to its close location to the plate marginsof Indian and Eurasian plates. The collision of the Indian plate moving northward with

the Eurasian plate is the cause of frequent earthquakes in the region comprisingBangladesh and neighbouring India, Nepal and Myanmar. Bangladesh has many suchfault lines under its surface. One of the most significant fault lines among them is theDauki fault line, which runs east-west under the Sylhet region. The frequency of faultlines increases along the stretch of the earth from the north to the south of Bangladesh,with a high concentration in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) region. HistoricallyBangladesh has been affected by five earthquakes of large magnitude (M), greater than7.0 (Richter scale), during the 61-year period from 1869 to 1930. Among them, themighty 8+ magnitude 1897 Great Indian earthquake in Shillong, Assarn had anepicentre distance of about 230 km from Dhaka. That earthquake caused extensivedamages to masonry buildings in many parts of Bangladesh including Dhaka. The 1885Bengal earthquake (M=7.0, 170 km from Dhaka) and 1918 Srimongal earthquake

(M=7.6, 150 km from Dhaka) had their epicentres within Bangladesh; they causedconsiderable damage locally. Two great (M>8) earthquakes occurred in Bihar in 1934and in Assam in 1950, but they were too far to cause any damage in Bangladesh. Butaccording to experts, after the recent earthquakes in Pakistan and India that havecaused widespread destruction, Bangladesh is very much likely to be the disaster’s nextstop.

If Bangladesh is a fertile land where crops grow rather naturally then Dhaka city is the



lushest land to grow urban infrastructures which often seem like developing rather ‘naturally’. And the result is the creation of a massive concrete jungle which is oftenreferred as the ‘vertical slum’. And what will happen if earthquake hits this city?

According to RAJUK, about 90 per cent buildings of Dhaka city are vulnerable toearthquakes measuring above 7 on the Richter scale and 50 per cent of the buildingswill be destroyed if an earthquake happens to be above six and all the building will bedestroyed if an earthquake measures above 8 on the Richter scale. Besides, a studyconducted in the eight wards of the capital in 2004 has revealed that most of the city’s8-12 storey buildings (over 24,000 in number) could collapse in the event of anearthquake that is smaller in magnitude to the one that hit Pakistan. Crammed withmore than 10 million people and packed with skyscrapers, the actual damage to Dhakamight exceed all studies and estimates, leading to a death-toll, experts say, which couldbe well over 100,000. And according to a study this number of deaths and injuries willhave such an impact on emergency relief and healthcare infrastructure that Dhaka willnot be able to function as the capital of Bangladesh.

The reasons for Dhaka being such vulnerable to earthquake destruction include highpopulation density, construction lacking earthquake-resistant design, absence of legalenforcement of building code and its seismic design provisions, possibility of fireoutbreaks due to rupture of gas pipelines or electric short-circuit during an earthquakeand inadequate fire fighting facilities, inadequate road width and space betweenbuildings preventing rescue operations and firefighting vehicles to reach certain areasand so on.

It’s like living on a time bomb. But concerned authorities must raise their level of awareness about the situation and precautionary measures must be taken in time tominimise the impact if and when such disaster strikes (God forbid!). There are some

singular steps that an individual can undertake to stay safe. These include: if someoneis on the ground floor and can get out very quickly (5-10 seconds), it is advised to rushoutside to an open space away from buildings or electric posts. If that can’t be done,then it is advised that one must take shelter at selected places inside buildings whichare relatively stronger against earthquakes such as near strong columns or near closelyspaced walls in both directions. To avoid any casualty it is suggested to get under atable so that one is not hurt by falling objects from above, staying away from outer verandah, balconies, cantilever projections, outer walls, mirrors and doors (Source: NewAge, September 26, 2006).

Bangladesh runs high earthquake risk

Bangladesh faces a high risk of moderate to strong earthquakes that may result in

widespread damage and loss of thousands of lives, said experts. Bangladesh also facesthe risk of tsunami as four active sources of earthquake in the Bay of Bengal cangenerate tremors with a magnitude of over 7 on the Richter scale in the Bay affectingthe country seriously.

The observatory at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet)recorded 86 tremors of over 4 magnitude during January 2006-May 2009. Another four earthquakes took place with magnitude of over 5 during the period. The meteorological



department detected at least 90 earthquakes taking place in the country between May2007 and July 2008, nine of them above five on the Richter scale and epicentres of 95percent being within a 600 kilometre radius of Dhaka city.

Experts say it is these minor tremors that indicate the possibility of much more powerfulearthquakes hitting the country. According to a seismic zoning map prepared by theBuet, 43 percent areas in Bangladesh are rated high risk, 41 percent moderate and16 percent low, said Prof Mehdi Ahmed Ansary.

The map, which is being drawn up under the supervision of Prof Ansary with fundingprovided by the science and information and communications technology ministry,divides the country into three earthquake vulnerability zones. Panchagarh, Rangpur,Gaibandha, Kurigram, Jamalpur, Sherpur, Mymensingh, Netrakona, Sunamganj,Kishoreganj, Moulvibazar, Sylhet, Habiganj and Brahmanbaria are placed in the highestrisk zone. Parts of Thakurgaon, Sirajganj, Tangail, Rangamati, Khagrachhari and Cox'sBazar also fall into the category, said Prof Ansary.

Zone-2 includes Rajshahi, Natore, Magura, Meherpur, Comilla, Brahmanbaria, Feni andDhaka while zone-3 is made up of all the islands, Barisal and Patuakhali. The currentzoning map has, however, not been included in the Bangladesh National Building Code(BNBC), which needs to be urgently updated, pointed out Ansary, who is also vice-president of the Bangladesh Earthquake Society.

In the zoning map of 1993, which was included in the BNBC, 26 percent of the countrywas high risk, 38 percent moderate and 36 percent low in terms of earthquakevulnerability. ASM Maksud Kamal, an expert on earthquake and tsunami preparedness,said four sources of earthquake in the Bay of Bengal are active and can generatetsunami.

He said one of the sources generated an earthquake of 7.8 magnitude in 1762 whichgenerated Fiche, waves caused by earthquakes in rivers and other closed water bodies,and around 100 people were killed in boat capsizes at that time in the Buriganga. Kamalsaid all the four sources in the Bay called F1, F2, F3 and F4 have a capability of generating earthquakes of over 7 magnitude creating tsunami which will affectBangladesh.

In that case the sea level will rise by 4-5 metres at Nijhum Dwip. The water level will rise2-3 metres at the Sundarbans, Cox's Bazar and the estuary of the Meghna. Kamal saidseven major earthquakes struck Bangladesh during the last 150 years and only two hadthe epicentre within the country.

The Srimangal earthquake on July 8, 1918 was recorded at 7.6 on the Richter scaleand its epicentre was in Balisera valley near Srimangal. Although there was damage,the intensity rapidly decreased due to the shallow focal depth and only minor effectswere felt in Dhaka, he said. The Bengal earthquake of July 14, 1885 causedconsiderable damage in the Sirajganj-Bogra region and perhaps more severedestruction in Jamalpur-Sherpur-Mymensingh region. The magnitude of the earthquakewas more than 7.0 on the Richter scale and the epicentre was at Manikganj, he added.



During the 1762 earthquake in Chittagong-Arakan coast the magnitude was 7.6 but theexact epicentre remained unclear.

The great Indian earthquake of June 12, 1897 that had a magnitude of 8.7 with theepicentre in the central part of the Shillong plateau was recalled as one of the world'sworst. Based on the epicentres of earlier earthquakes, Dhaka has crossed 130 years,Chittagong has crossed 250 years and Sylhet about 100 years, which now raises theprospect of a major earthquake striking Bangladesh, said Kamal.

He observed that fault zones like Dauki fault zone, Shahjibazar fault zone and Tripura toAssam fault zone are very active and have been generating energy for quite a long timebut as no earthquake occurred in those areas, it is a matter of time before the big onestrikes. Prof Ansary said eight fault zones are active in Bangladesh. They are Bografault zone, Tanore fault zone in Rajshahi, Tripura fault zone, Sitakunda-Teknaf faultzone, Dauki fault zone (Haluaghat Fault), Dhubri fault zone, Chittagong fault zone,Shahjibazar fault zone (sub-Dauki fault) and Rangamati fault zone (Borcal). He said anyminor earthquake might be due to the activity in the local small fault zones, thus

increasing the chances of a major jolt happening. Besides, Ansary felt a strongearthquake could occur in the plate boundaries as the 100-year alarm bells havepassed.

Bangladesh is close to the meeting point of the Indian, Eurasian and Burma(Myanmar) plates. The movement of Indian and Eurasian plates has been locked atthe foot of the Himalayas for many years, storing strain energy, he said. When the lockis released it will let out the strain energy causing major earthquakes that will affectBangladesh, northeast part of India and Myanmar, Ansary explained. Three strongearthquakes were recorded from the Indian-Eurasian plate, which jolted Bangladeshwithin 150 years, said Ansary.

Due to the Indian and Eurasian and Myanmar plates, the Bihar-Nepal earthquake tookplace in 1934 and it was felt as far away as Dinajpur and Rangpur, he said. The Assamearthquake on August 15, 1950 had a magnitude of 8.6 on the Richter scale. The tremor was felt throughout Bangladesh but miraculously no damage was reported anywhere.But the Mandelay earthquake that struck in 1858 with a magnitude of 7.9 did affectedChittagong division, he added (H. Alam, August 12, 2009).

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5. TROPICAL CYCLONECoastal zones of the world are at short or long term risk from natural hazards

associated with severe loss of lives and wealth. There are many individual stratigies for buffering the coast against natural and man-made impacts, but there is a big differencebetween developed and developing countries. Since three decades India andBangladesh have been struck by at least eight tropical cyclones, each of which killedmore than 10,000 people, whereas in Bangladesh the death rate was about300,000 in 1970 and about 200 000 in 1990.

A cylone in the Bay of Bengal need not start powerful than tropical storm elsewhere but





the triangular shape of the Bay concentrates the force of the stormas it moves north and northeastward out of Indian Ocean. Of allthe developing nation affilated by coastal storms, Bangladesh isthe worst affected and posseses least preparedness to cope withsuch disaster. In industrial countries the same cylonic storm maycause deaths about 10, whereas in Bangladesh it will causehundreds of thousands and turning the landscape into a mournfullake of floating corpses of human and animals desperatesurvivors.

There are no scientific and research oriented studies on morphological and gelogicalchanges in the cyclone-prone reigons of Bangladesh. A rapid land accreation along withforestation is an important aspect of economy and cyclone protection. Bangladeshneeds coastal resource management in the light of poverty elimination programme,eclogical structural plan, cyclone preparedness, risk assesment, scietific studies on theeffects of coastal storms, emergency programme (national and international) to fightagainst coastal disaster, protect water supply etc.

Situated at the head of the Bay of Bengal, most of Bangladesh is a delta formed by the convergence of three greatrivers – the Ganges, the Brahmaputra and the Meghna. Eighty percent of Bangladesh is less than 1.5 metres above sealevel and every year during the monsoon season the rivers flood half the country to a depth of 30 cm. The floods,which last for several months, have the environmental benefit of bringing fertile silt, but cause great disruption. Yetthese annual floods are insignificant compared to the really disastrous floods caused by tropical cyclones.

In 1970 a tropical cyclone and tidal surge killed more than 450,000 people. A repeat of thisdisaster occurred in 1991 when 125,000 people were killed. Apart from the loss of life,crops, livestock, roads, bridges, electricity pylons were destroyed. Salt water contaminatedfarmland and drinking water supplies were polluted. The Bangladesh government

estimated the damage at US.5 billion.

Currently the tendency to over exploit coastal resources isplacing increasing stress on viability of the ecosystem. Thegrowing population pressure and the related socio-economicconsequences put extensive pressure on the development of land use patterns and infrastructure management for exploitation of water resources, thus risking the quality of life of our future generation. Around 80 per cent of the total poor live in rural areas. The larger part of their income, about 30 per cent of GDP and 60 per cent of rural employmentcome from this sector. The poverty rate is 53 per cent in the coastal area against 48 per cent in whole of the nation

Cyclone toll 'may never be known'

One month on, it is evident from the faces and the frequent tears of many of thesurvivors that they are still living constantly with the trauma of their homes and other places being battered for hours by both the cyclone and the tidal surge it triggered. Inmany cases their loss is overwhelming.

In human life, people tell of watching their children, elderly relatives, wives, husbandsunable to cling on any longer and being swept away before their eyes - now they arewithout any means of livelihood.



Bodies continue to surface in paddy fields and along river banks, as volunteers andseconded municipal workers carry on the grim task of disposing of those retrievedearlier.

A village-by-village count of the dead and missing has just begun. Many of the aidagencies working in the area believe the eventual death toll could be 20,000 or more.

But they also say it may never be known accurately, not least because of the number of migrant workers who live in such coastal areas.

The state's calculation now is that more than half a million animals perished, includingbullocks, which are the mainstay for ploughing. It says more than one and a half millioncoconut trees were uprooted - a major source of income for many. There are industriesexpecting to take a year to resume normal working. Criticism continues over lack of co-ordination in the relief operation (Mike Wooldridge, 22 November, 1999).

Tidal waves submerge coastal areas 80,000 forced to leave floodedhomes, 500 fishermen missing, September 21, 2005

Some 80,000 people were forced to leave their homes in the coastal areas due to a tidal

wave from the Bay. Reports arriving from Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar, Patuakhali, Barguna,Bhola and Khulna said many of the costal towns were submerged by the tidal surge.More than 500 fishermen are missing as nearly 100 trawlers, caught in rough weather due to the depression in the Bay of Bengal, have remained out of trace in the sea sinceMonday, according to fishing associations. Leaders of those associations said at least500 fishing trawlers left different sea ports for fishing in the Bay since last Sunday after the depression, but only 400 trawlers have returned to the ports, giving rise to the fear that the missing trawlers have either capsized or taken shelter in the coastal areas inIndian territory.

Water entered the island easily through the breaches in the embankment after the tidalwave, said Rabbani, adding that the affected people were forced to take shelter in thecyclone centres. Tidal waves that were 3-4 feet higher than normal also inundated someplaces at Anwara and Banshkhali coastal areas, causing considerable suffering to thelocal people (New Age September 21, 2005).

1. Poor farmers losing lands to shrimp farm owners2. Destruction of sustainable ecosystem for the finest kitchen of the Industrial Countries3. Some Sobering Statistics On World's Poor 4. Will someone listen to the poor farmers’ tearful appeal?

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