Geo - U4 AOS 2 - Case Study: Bangladesh

Explain the location and scale of Bangladesh

• Borders India to the W, N, and E, and Myanmar to the SE, Bay of Bengal to the S

• Independence from Pakistan in 1971

• Small country - 144,000 km

• Population approx 171 million as of 2024

• Most densley populated nation - 1,250 people/km² (Aus: 3/km²)

• Located on the floodplains of 3 major rivers: Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna

• 90% of land has an average elevation of 10m → therefore vulnerable to cyclone, floods

• Monsoon season: June - October + 80% of annual rainfall → 1/3 of country underwater in October

Population Characteristics: Profiles

• Structure 2024: <15: 25%, 65+: 6%

• Life Expectancy 2024: M: 71.5, F: 76, Overall: 73.8

• CBR 2024: 16/1000 (47 in 1971)

• CDR 2024: 6/1000 (19 in 1971)

• Bangladesh’s population (nearest million): 171 million (2024)

• Projected population 2035: 196.9    

• Projected population 2050: 215.5

• Natural rate of increase: 1.4%

• TFR (1990): 4.5 per woman

• TFR (2020):  2.3 per woman

• IMR: 34

• GNI per capita: 5,310

What is Population Momentum?

• The demographic ‘after effects’ of having a large base of young people

• Even when the growth rate drops, the population keeps increasing due to the high proportion of child-bearing age from earlier high growth decades, so the total births still outweigh the death rates, causing natural increase still.

Define issues and challenges

Issues: An important topic or problem for debate of discussion (has two sides) at a local, national or global level

Challenges: A specific difficulty which requires great effort to overcome, arising from the issue

Define urbanisation

An increase in the proportion of a population living in urban areas

Define Slum households

A group of individuals living under the same roof in an urban area who lack one or more of the following:

• durable housing of permanent nature that protects against extreme climate conditions

• sufficient living space (no more than three people sharing the same room)

• easy access to safe water in sufficient amounts at an affordable price

• access to adequate sanitation in the form of a public or private toilet shared by an adequate number of people

• easy access to safe water

• security of tenure that prevents forced evictions

Outline the first key issue impacting Bangladesh - with statistics

RAPID URBANISATION

• population growth in urban areas is twice as fast as rural areas - high CBR + migration

• 1400 people move to Dhaka daily ~ 500,000 per year ~ 60% of population growth

• 8 million people living in 5000 slums in Dhaka

• The slums are still rapidly growing, projected to reach 30 million by 2025

• Experiencing faster rate of change than the rest of South Asia

Outline the influencing factors: economic

• 55% migrating are doing so for higher paid work

• Small-scale rice farm owners are being impacted strongly by environmental shock, causing them to sell their farms to large-scale industries and move to urban areas with increase prospects and security

• Rice farms are affected by cyclones, flooding, river bank erosion, storm surges

• Housing is less affordable in slums/city but there is no chance of river bank erosion

Outline the influencing factors: environmental

• 27% migrate for environmental reasons (and rising)

• Over 20 million people will be displaced from rising sea and salinity levels

• Country is expected to be 2 degrees celcius warmer within 30 years

• Himalayan glaciers melting faster (cc), flooding lower Ganges (eg: 2004 flood, flooded 2/3 of Bangladesh)

• River bank erosion destroys homes and infrastructure leaving people landless + homeless

• the annual rate of erosion across the 3 major river systems of 6000 ha - displacing 50,000-200,000 people each year

• The Bay Bengal narrows at its northern shore, where it meet Bangladesh, this acts as a funnel, directing cyclones to the coast - these intensify in this process, as cyclones love warm water

• This also creates storm surges - tsunami-like phenomenon of rising water which also bring heavy rain = flooding

State the key challenges with rapid urbanisation

• low livability

• rapid growth of slums + ensuing poverty

Expand on the main challenges associated with rapid urbanisation

Low livability:

• Less than 10% of Dhaka has been planned

• Congestion: Road networks in Dhaka suffer from years of underinvestment and inadequate planning. Average traffic speed of 7 km/h, with 3.2 million working hours per day eaten up by congestion

• Air pollution: Health burden of air pollution costs 1% of the country’s GDP

Rapid growth of slums + ensuing poverty

• Low income jobs: low paid-jobs such as street sweepers, rickshaw drivers, day labourers, garment factory workers, maids and small traids earn less than 50$ per month.

• Chronic water shortages: 90% of Dhaka’s water supply comes from ground reserves which are depleted by 3m per year, with a supply demand gap of 500 million litres per day

Provide an example of the living conditions in Dhaka

The Korali Slum

• Dhaka’s largest and oldest slum, established in 1980s, 100,000 people live on 70 ha

• Attracted by formal/informal job opportuinties, as its surrounded by two affluent commercial and residential neighbourhoods

• Residents face threats of eviction, fire, drugs, crime, police harassment, and extortion.

• People get gas, water and electricity through illegal connections → at least 10000 illegal gas connections

Name a strategy managing Issue 1

BRAC (Building Resources Across Communities)

Who implemented it?

Sir Fazle Hasan Abed, who founded the organisation in 1971 after Bangladesh achieved independence, he ensured relief was provided to refugees.

What is the aim? Are there any targets (in numbers)?

The mission is to create opportunities for people living in poverty, offering many programs about gender equality, education, job skills training and healthcare.

There is also the BRAC Ultra-Poor Graduation Initiative (2002-2008)

• Targets people earning less than USD $1.90 per month, through a multifaceted economic, environmental and social support program

What does it involve?

The support mechanisms available change depending on age, but have targeted initiatives to provide opportunities over 24 month cycles with support. 

Is the strategy effective according to your criteria? Use evidence to explain.

• 93% of participating households experienced long-term gains

• On average, participants experienced a 37% increase in income, 36% increase in labour productivity, twofold increase in household asset value

• Of 9 million people in 2 million households, 95% escaped extreme poverty

What geospatial tech is used and how?

Geospatial tech is being used to geo-locate and identify those living in extreme poverty, allowing them to enrol in relief systems and be provided with hands-on information. This tech can also be used to easily monitor the progress of multiple initiatives, and collate data to inform future strategies.

What is the second issue facing Bangladesh’s growing population

High TFR in rural areas

State statistics to support the second issue

• In 2024, 59% of married women hebtween the ages of 15-49 were using modern forms of contraception

~ 60% in urban areas ~ 54% in rural areas

• TFR: 6.95 ?(1970), 4.50 (1990), 2.09 (2019)

• Use of contraceptives: 8.0% (1970), 54.0% (2000), 63.1% (2018)

• Since, contraception use has stagnated at around 60% - due to neglect of government initiative in recent years, shortages in supply, and health workers 

Outline the two major challenges with the second issue

• Raising the profile of female education within deeply entrenched cultures in rural regions

• Determining which regions have the lowest education rates - and how to best support them

What are some statistics to support/evidence of these challenges

• 66% of adults are literate in rural areas, 81% in urban areas

• 9/10 children are enrolled in primary, dropping to 58% in lower secondary, and 43% in upper secondary

• Widening gap in rural and urban pass rates: most schools with pass rates of 0-50% are rural

• Teacher shortage - 25,000 needed

• More than 50% of girls drop out for ‘marriage related reasons’, whereas 1/5 boys do for the same reason

• 1/3 adolscent girls aged 15-19 are married

• Neonatal mortality rates are higher for younger, less educated mothers (36/1000 for non educated, 16/1000 for educated)

What is the main reason for girls dropping out of school?

Child marriage.

Attending school for a low quality education is not worth the cost of being unable to support one’s family. If the norm is adolescent girls marrying instead of finishing school then education becomes a luxury that impoverished families can’t afford. They are also expected to pay a dowry when their daughter weds, which is further disincentive to invest in education.

What is the response to the second issue?

MICS (Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey)

What is the aim of MICS?

MICS collects data by completing surveys on a range of factors impacting developing world regions - with the collected data used to inform the implementation of programs to help resolve this issues

They target: children's well-being, women, and households, ranging from health and education to child protection and water and sanitation.

When was MICS implemented?

The first survey in Bangladesh was conducted in 1993, then again in: 2006, 2012-13

What does it involve?

To collect the surveys, face-to-face interviews are completed. Using questionnaires administered to household members, including women, men, and caregivers of children, with the households selected via geospatial tech

Evaluate how effective MICS has been

The scope of these surveys provides useful data and areas where the interventions could take place

• The data has been used to inform the Sustainable Development Goals

• A range of family planning programs have been created to address the high TFR