Geography IGCSE - Bangladesh Rivers Stats

Bangladesh pop.

173 million

Bangladesh location

a country in South Asia, bordered by India, Myanmar, and the Bay of Bengal.

Intro stat

most of people live on the floodplains of three major rivers: the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Meghna. Its relief is low-lying and is positioned at the confluence of these rivers → extremely prone to flooding.

BP1 (Natural geography → majority of country is less than 9 meters above sea level)

Makes it prone to river overflowing and storm surges from the Bay of Bengal → during monsoon season, heavy rainfall leads to heightened river discharge that cannot hold the amount of water → leads to widespread floods → melting of Himalayan glaciers during summer → further increase river discharge → contributing to the flooding

BP2 (Human activity → 60% of Dhaka's permeable surfaces replaced with concrete → increase in runoff + flooding during monsoon season)

Deforestation in upstream areas reduces ability of land to absorb water → leads to increased surface runoff into rivers → urbanization in cities like Dhaka → replaced soil + vegetation with concrete and asphalt → limits water infiltration → causing consequences of urban flooding to be more prominent → poorly maintained drainage systems also exacerbate issue → failing to remove excess water quickly

BP3 (climate change → sea levels around Bangladesh have risen by approximately 10 millimeters per year over the last decade)

Intensified flooding in Bangladesh → rising global temperatures have caused sea levels to increase → stronger + more frequent cyclones have led to devastating storm surges → it has made flooding more severe + unpredictable → threatens both lives + livelihoods across country

Opportunities BP1 (Over 60% of Bangladesh's workforce is employed in agriculture)

Fertile floodplains of the Meghna river → has necessary nutrients to sustain crop production → annual flooding of rivers deposits rich silt along banks → increasing soil fertility → supports cultivation of crops → backbone of nation's economy + providing food security for people

Opportunities BP2 (Dhaka, located on the banks of the Buriganga River, utilizes river for transporting goods to and from the city from other parts of country)

Buriganga River helps to support commerce within Dhaka → it is a key logistical route, lowering transportation costs for heavy goods + connecting capital to major agricultural + industrial regions → cheaper and more efficient than other transport.

Opportunities BP3 (In the district of Chandpur, fishing industry employs over 30,000 people)

Chandpur benefits from the confluence of rivers → creating fertile fishing ground with abundant fish stocks → area’s rich biodiversity supports both commercial + artisanal fishing → provides livelihoods for thousands → crucial role in feeding nation + boosting local economy through trade + employment

BP1 Impacts (2020 monsoon floods damaged over 300 kilometers of roads + 200 bridges → repair costs exceeding $200 million)

Recurrent floods in Bangladesh cause extensive damage to critical infrastructure, disrupting essential services + transportation networks → significantly hampers economic activities, delays recovery efforts → financial burden on government + communities to restore → high costs of repairs + frequent need for reconstruction weaken infrastructure system against future disasters → cycle of vulnerability + economic strain

Impacts BP2 (Increased soil Erosion rates of up to 10,000 tons per square kilometre per year)

erosion strips away nutrient-rich topsoil → crucial for agricultural productivity → degradation of arable land → affects agricultural output → affecting food security + livelihoods of rural communities → continual soil loss → increased use of fertilizers → economically burdensome + environmentally harmful → exacerbates land degradation