Flooding in Bangladesh

• Where is Bangladesh?

Why does Bangladesh flood?

• With a population of 120 million people packed into a land mass no bigger then a small US State, Bangladesh has the distinction of being one of the most densely populated countries of the world.

• 90% of the population live in the rural sector where the people endeavour to survive through subsistence farming and fishing.

• With over 2000 people per square kilometre, land and marine resources are over exploited and daily nutritional rates are extremely low.

• This, combined with lack of industry, low literacy rates, poor health care and almost yearly flooding, make Bangladesh one of the most impoverished and under nourished nations of the world.

• It is estimated that at the current birth rate, the population of Bangladesh will double in the next 30 years, bringing the population to a staggering 240 million by the year 2026.

• 90% of the land area of Bangladesh is situated on a vast alluvial delta where the flat countryside rarely rises ten metres above sea level. With the yearly monsoon rains comes vast flooding as the river system overflows their banks

• This is both a blessing and a curse. While the floods destroy crops and endanger the lives of people and animals, the annual deluge also brings fertility to the soil, allowing for rich crops through the rest of the year without the use of expensive fertilizer.

Why does Bangladesh Flood?

• Climate

• Deforestation.

How does deforestation lead to flooding?

How do physical features effect flooding?

• Physical features

The effects of Flooding