Flooding case studies

Flooding case studies

1. Bangladesh

   • Physical causes
     • Low lying country - mostly delta - The Ganges, The Brahmaputra, The Meghna
     • Gently sloped flood plain - water spreads over large areas and material in the flood plain erodes the banks
     • Sources of the rivers are in the Himalayas, so monsoon rainfall is intensified by the height of the land
     • Snowmelt from the Himalayas adds to discharge in Spring
   • Human causes
     • Rapid urbanisation - Dhaka at the confluence of The Ganges and The Meghna
     • Many people are poor and poorly prepared for floods
     • Population pressure in Nepal and Tibet to the North
       • Deforestation in the foothills of the Himalayas as trees are cleared for fuel and grazing land
     • Use of irrigation channels to the north
       • slows the flow of water
         • more silt deposited in land, less at the edge of the delta
   • Social impacts
     • 36 million made homeless
     • 800 deaths
       • Lack of access to clean drinking water
         • Can result in gastro-intestinal diseases e.g. Cholera