Event Host: School of Earth Sciences
Short Description: M. Monowar Hossain, Executive Director, Institute of Water Modeling (IWM), Dhaka, Bangladesh, lectures on "Water Resources Management Challenges and Coastal Vulnerabilities in Deltaic Bangladesh" at this Hydropolitics Seminar.
M. Monowar Hossain, Executive Director, Institute of Water Modeling (IWM), Dhaka, Bangladesh, lectures on "Water Resources Management Challenges and Coastal Vulnerabilities in Deltaic Bangladesh" at this Hydropolitics Seminar.
Bangladesh is a disaster-prone country having an area of 1,47,570 km2 with a population of about 160 million that makes it the most densely populated country of the world. The country is located at the lowermost part of the basins of the three Himalayan Rivers: the Ganges, the Brahmaputra and the Meghna (GBM). The combined basins (watersheds) of these three rivers are about 1.75 million km2 of which only 7.5% lie in Bangladesh. Around 90% of the runoff is generated outside Bangladesh during a 5 months rainy season from June to October while for the remaining 7 months there is almost no rainfall. Huge runoff in a short time associated with huge sediment loads cause flood risk management more complicated. In normal flood about 20% of the country is flooded while in extreme cases about 70% area is flooded which has significant negative impacts on national economy. Water management in Bangladesh is very challenging due to too much of water in monsoon and too little during the dry season. Coastal cyclones and cyclone induced flooding in coastal area is an added problem. With a projected sea level rise by about 80 cm in 2100 will make future water management even more complex and challenging. It may be noted that Bangladesh has a 710 km long coastline and a coastal area is about 30% of the country’s total area and home of 28% of total population.
Both structural and non-structural measures are adopted for addressing flood risk in Bangladesh. Flood forecasting and warning is the most fruitful non-structural measures to mitigate negative impacts.
The Mershon Center for International Security Studies, Seminar Series Hydropolitics: Water Scarcity and Water Security, Organized by Esther E. Gottlieb and Bryan G. Mark Co-Sponsors: Global Water Initiative; Division of Geodetic Science, School of Earth Sciences; & Middle East Studies Center
