Geographical Features & Environmental Issues in Bangladesh Dr. Anisur Rahman Khan 1
Geographical Features & Environmental Issues in
BangladeshDr. Anisur Rahman
Khan
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Bangladesh: Geographical FactsFacts Facts Facts
Location: South Asia
Area: 148,460 sq km
Land boundary: Burma 271 km & India 4,142 km
Coastal line: 580
Territorial sea: 12nm, Economic zone: 200 nm
Terrain: mostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast, also some part of eastern & southern portion
Landscapes: Floodplains (80%), terraces (8%), hills (12%) & other (8%)
Land: Agricultural (70.1%), Forest (11.1%) & Other 18.8%
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Bangladesh: Geography FactsFacts Facts Facts
Hills: High hills (over 20 meters altitude) in the southeast, and low hills (less than 20 meters) in the northeast
Natural resources: natural gas, arable land, timber, coal, water resources etc.
Climate: Tropical; mild winter (November to February); hot, humid summer (March to June); humid, warm rainy monsoon (June to October)
Seasons (Meteorological & Cropping): Summer, monsoon, winter
Net sown area: 17.5% single crop, 54.7% double crop & 20.4% triple crop
Natural resources: natural gas, arable land, timber, coal, water resources etc. 3
Bangladesh occupies a unique geographic location. The mighty Himalaya mountain chain of the north and the open ocean of the South. It is virtually the only drainage outlet for a vast river basin complex made up of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna and their network.
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Bangladesh- A land of rivers
The river systems have shaped much of the history, economy, literature and rich culture of the people
About 700 rivers;River length: 25,000 km; Transboundary
river: 575
Ganga, B’putra & Meghna river system is the second largest in the world, only next to Amazan
The Complex Water System
1. Beels, baors, haors, rivers and canals, floodplains, estuaries etc. make up vast network of wetlands2. Bangladesh is located within the largest delta that is continuously being formed, along with heavy clay soil making its rivers constantly subject to change 3. Large areas are subject to annual flooding
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The Ganges River Basin
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Geographical Advantages• Tropical climate favours high-yielding
agriculture possible• Flatness of land, good soil, quantity of
water are good assets for cultivation• Bangladesh possesses a rich heritage of
bio-diversity. Population is heavily reliant on management of natural resources, forests and hill tracts for their livelihood and survival
• Extensive coastline opens access to oceanfront resources, strategic importance, trade potentials
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Geographical Advantages
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Geographical Advantages
•After the final settlement of maritime border disputes with Myanmar and India in 2012 and 2014 respectively, Bangladesh has received entitlement to 118,813 sq. km comprising her territorial sea and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) (MoFA, 2014)
• HUGE POTENTIAL FOR EXTENTION OF BLUE ECONOMY, WHY?
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International Politics of Water Mgt
•Bangladesh is highly constrained managing its water needs
• As a lower “riparian” country Bangladesh is heavily vulnerable to the downstream effects of India’s water management efforts
•Farakka barrage on Ganges built in 1974 became a source of political tension
• In 1996 two countries signed 30 yr water Ganges Water Treaty
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International Politics of Water Mgt
•Second disputes relates to Teesta, a barrage built by Bangladesh in 1990 hampered operation while India built barrage in upstream
• Tipaimuk hydroelectric project is another example of India’s interference with Bangladesh’s water rights
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International Politics of Water Mgt
FarakkaTipimuk
Teesta
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Environmental Issues in Bangladesh
Critical Issues Sudden onset issues
Slow onset process
Population Growth
Climate change Urbanization Water &
Sanitation Various Pollution Deforestation Arsenic
Contamination Solid waste
Management
Floods Cyclones River
Erosion Earthquak
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Coastal erosion
Sea level rise Salt water
intrusion Rising temp Drought Changing
rainfall15
1.Huge flows of rainfall and snow melt from Himalayas across the boarder
2. Poor Drainage system3. Excessive silt load in the river due to soil erosion
•Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna Basins
1. Cyclone wind come from south-West side.2. 70% Cyclone occurs in Springand Summer season.3. Main cause for cyclone is geographical location4. Bangladesh is severely affectedby Cyclone
Massive loss after Cyclone
Cyclone wind direction
CYCLONE
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Cyclone SIDR 2007 Track
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Cyclone Sidr, 2007.mp4
Suddenly Natural gas is coming out
EARTHQUAKE1. We feel shake sometimes2. Very densely populated area, so any future earthquake will bring serious affect
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Date Name( Place) Magnitude Epicenter distance in Richter from Dhaka (km) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 10 Jan 1869 Kachar earthquake 7.5 250 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14 Jul 1885 Bengal earthquake(Bogra ) 7.0 170 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12 Jun 1897 Great Indian Earthquake 8.7 230 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 08 Jul 1918 Srimangal Earthquake ( Srimangal) 7.6 150 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 02 Jul 1930 Dhubri Earthquake 7.1 250 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15 Jan 1934 Bihar-Nepal Earthquake (Bihar) 8.3 510 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15 Aug 1950 Asam Earthquake (Asam) 8.5 780 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 08 May 1997 Sylhet Earthquake (Sylhet ) 6.0 210 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 21 Nov 1997 Chittagong Earthquake (Chittagong) 8.5 264 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 22 Jul 1999 Moheskhali Earthquake (Cox;s Bazar ) 5.2 300 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 27-Jul 2003 Chittagong-Rangamati Earthquake 5.9 290 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Date Name( Place) Magnitude Epicenter distance in Richter from Dhaka (km) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4 Jan 2016 Imphal /Nepal earthquake 6.7 352 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13 April 2016 Myanmar 6.9 --- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bangladesh is divided into 3 earthquake zones :
• Zone –1 : the less risky zone (includes
Jessore , Khulna and Barisal Dist .)• Zone – 2 : medium vulnerable zone
(includes Dhaka ,Rajshahi , Dinajpur, Bogra , Chittagong and Noakhali Dist.
• Zone – 3 : the most vulnerable zone (includes Sylhet , Mymensingh and
Rangpur Districts.)
EARTHQUAKE ZONES IN BANGLADESH
TORNADO 1. Tornado occurs in centralpart of Bangladesh.2. 75% Tornado occurs inMonsoon season3. People affected within a fewminutes.
DROUGHT
# Drought occures in Pre-Monsoon time# Lack of rain and Moisture, the People affected by Drought# Sometimes, North-west And South-west regions affected by drought
The paddy field for over sunlight
RIVER BANK EROSION
Embankment broken by the river
1.River Bank Erosion causes in the Rainy season.3.About 1 million people affected bythis disaster in every year.4.People migrate from one place to another.
Solid waste creates problems primarily in high-population areas
•Half of the solid waste comes from household
•Dhaka city corporations can collect 42% of the total generated waste, the rest lie on roadsides, open drains, low-lying areas, or vacant lots
•More than 80% of the solid waste of Dhaka city is organic in content which has the potential to be used as compost
SOLID WASTE
SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT
•Arsenic is a white, semi-metallic
powder found in nature whose components are highly toxic, can cause ulcer, cancer & thickening of the skin
•Arsenic deposits have entered the drinking water, entering the food system, and cause various health hazards
•Arsenic contamination in ground water was first detected in 1993, 54 districts are affected
•Around 45 to 80 million people are at risk from arsenic
ARSENIC CONTAMINATION IN BANGLADESH
ARSENIC CONTAMINATION IN BANGLADESH
POPULATION GROWTH
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Street View- Somewhere in Australia
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Street View- Somewhere in Bangladesh
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Population GrowthWhat do you think about future population growth in Bangladesh?
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Demographic Profile of Bangladesh
Population: 166,280,712 (July 2014 est.)
Population Density
Population density: Population density is the number of people per unit of area ; 1,118.65 per square kilometer
Population Growth Rate
growth rate: The average annual percent change in the population 1.58 per thousand
Population and Environment •The depletion of water
resources, overfishing, degradation of arable land, decimation of forests, and alteration of natural cycles and ecosystems are among the principal concerns.
Environmental Pollution
Environmental Pollution and Bangladesh
Bangladesh is apparently in the grips of all sorts of environmental pollution & it is increasing at an alarming rate
Environmental Pollution: Bangladesh Perspective
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f75TAvZohqs
Types of Pollution Air pollution Noise/sound pollution Water pollution Soil pollution Thermal pollution Land degradation Natural Disaster Radiation pollution
Air Pollution Air pollution adversely affects the
respiratory tract, causes eye irritation, headache, fatigue, asthma, hypertension and cardiac problem
50 tons of lead are emitted annually in Dhaka’s atmosphere, evidence of emission is acute during dry season
Dhaka is one of the highly polluted cities in the world in terms of air pollution
In urban area, automobiles & industrial emissions cause air pollution, in rural area brick field causes serious pollution
Noise Pollution Noise pollution leads to
Irritation and an increased blood pressure, Loss of temper, Decrease in work efficiency, Loss of hearing WHO (World Health Organization) has prescribed
optimum noise level as 45 dB by day and 35 dB by night. Anything above 80 dB is hazardous
WHO at 45 locations of Dhaka city, most of the traffic points and many of the industrial, residential, commercial, silent and mixed areas are suffering noises exceeding the standard limits of Bangladesh.
Water Pollution Addition or presence of undesirable
substances in water is called water pollution
All types of water borne disease are the ultimate results of polluted water
Due to water pollution, the life-cycle of fish and other aquatic organism hamper tremendouslyhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZeY7AyfoqU
Sources of Water Pollution•Unplanned use of pesticides and
inorganic chemicals•Thermal pollution• Industrial wastewater discharge •Land degradation/ river band
errosion •Flood and other natural
calamities and so on
Soil Pollution• Addition of substances which adversely
affect the quality of soil or its fertility is known as soil pollution
• Generally, polluted water also pollute soil• Solid wastes that are the mixture of various
wastes are the primary cause of soil pollution• Industrial wastes, fly ash and chemical from
agricultural sources are also potential sources
• Contribution of municipal wastes and land fillings are the growing sources
Climate Change in Bangladesh
“The most vulnerable country to climate
change effect (USAID)”
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glN9IKNmfaw
Scientific Basis of CC One of the greatest threats to the humanity
today Earlier it was perceived as an environmental
problem (GHG emission & temperature rise). Now it is a developmental problem (poverty, food/water, social securities, MDG/SDG
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) defines climate change as the change resulting from long term direct and indirect activities that induces changes in the compared time which are much more than the natural change
Sources of GHGs & CO2 concentration
Fossil fuel burning Industrialisaton and urbanisation Unsustainable production and
consumption Agriculture and forest depletion Household energy consumption Industrialised and rich countries are
mainly responsible for GHG emission
U.S.
186.1
EuropeanUnion
127.8Russia
68.4Ukraine
21.7Poland14.4
China
57.6Japan
31.2
Australia7.6
India
15.5
Kazakhstan
10.1
South Africa8.5
Canada14.9
Mexico7.8
Trinidad and Tobago
United Arab Emirates
Kuwait
Total CO2 emissions
Between 1950-2001 in billions of tons
TIME magazine, 2001
US: 4% of world’s total population, 25% of the world’s greenhouse gasesChina: 25% of the world’s population, 8.5% of the world’s greenhouse gases (since 1950)
Largest emitters country
Source: CRS Report for Congress, 2008Per capita emissions of CO2 is less than 0.2 ton annually in Bangladesh, compared to 1.6 tons in the developing countries.
The globally averaged surface temperature is projected to increase by 1.4 to 5.8 ºC over the period 1990 to 2100. Global mean sea level is projected to rise by 0.09 to 0.88 m between the years 1990 and 2100.Glaciers and ice caps are projected to continue their widespread retreat during the 21st Century. Dry season flows of river will shrink in future.There will be erratic behavior of weather
Likely Impacts
Dry seasons will have less rainfall. There will be an increase in irrigation water demandForests will be affected as climate changes and plants will need time to adjustFlora and fauna and their inter-relationship will be in jeopardy. Many species will disappear, many will face problems in survivingDrought tolerant, saline tolerant and submergence tolerant varieties of crops will be required to cope with
Likely Impacts…..
Likely Impacts …… Vulnerability to both flood and drought will
increase. River flooding may increase in duration.
Flash flooding will be more frequent. Short duration rainfalls may create drainage congestions specially in urban areas.
A sea level rise of 0.5m by 2050 will cause low lying coastal areas to go under water. Small island states may disappear.
Frequency of tropical cyclones will increase. Storm surge depths will increase.
Climate Change in Bangladesh
•Why is Bangladesh at high risk of climate change?– Geographic location;
– Flat and low-lying land;
– High population density (highest in the world)
– Reliance of natural resources especially for agriculture and fisheries
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Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC) Assessment
about Bangladesh
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The impact of higher temperatures, more variable precipitation, more extreme weather events, and sea level rise and will continue to intensify.
Increased climate change will cause more intense floods, draughts and storms.
Reduction in crop yield creating a very high risk of hunger.
Low river flows and increased evaporation in the dry period will reduce the amount of fresh water that is available.The predicted sea-level
rise will threaten valuable coastal agricultural land.
Predicted temperature increase will cause the melting of glaciers in the Himalayas.
Climate Change
and Banglades
h
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Sea level rise in different height
Source: The Daily Star, 17th January 2015 59
- Every year, rivers engulf enormous agriculture fields and homesteads, making people homeless
- Migration to urban areas and live in slum under unhygienic conditions
Climate Refugee or Migration
Disaster Effect
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Adaptation & Mitigation• Adaptation:
– Human adjustment with the changing environment
– Bangladesh always put emphasis on adaptation– Example: Preparing cyclone shelter, Raising the
base of the house, changing consumption pattern
• Mitigation:– Taking structural and nonstructural measures to
prevent disaster i.e. reducing carbon dioxide emission.
– There is huge scope for Bangladesh regarding mitigation
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Adaptation
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Adaptation
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Adaptation
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Mitigation Potentials for Bangladesh
• Transport Sector:– Railway: Increasing and strengthening
rail network.1 train = 50 trucks– Waterway: Maintaining navigability of
rivers. Securing river transportation.• Residential Sector:
– Gas metering:•3 million domestic user of gas•Flat rate for gas consumption leading to
gas wastage67
Mitigation Potentials for Bangladesh
• Residential Sector:– Improve cook stoves: ICS increasing
energy efficiency by 20%.– Solar PV
• Industry Sector:– Efficient technologies– Brick kilns: German Hybrid Hoffman
Kiln (HHK) Technology reduces coal consumption by 20-30%
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Fig: saline tolerant variety Boro
Fig: Coastal saline area
Mitigation in Picture
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Solar Panels in Rural Shop
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Solar Powered Street
Lights in Dhaka.
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Thank You
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