Bangladesh- The Flood of 1988
Bangladesh a country where less than 12m above sea level, and it is
believed that about 10% of the land would be flooded if the seas levels
were to rise by even 1m. Approximately 75% of Bangladesh is less than
10m above sea level and 80% is flood plain. Despite the widespread
developments, the country is still at risk of further widespread in
damages in their landscape and society. The flood of 1988 considered to
be one of the biggest flood disasters Bangladesh has ever faced. The
year of my birth I was told that the water levels were so high they had
to evacuate my mother and myself only a few hours after I was born due
the hospital being flooded. Bangladesh, being located at the confluence
of several major rivers, suffers from floods almost every year. Major
portions of the country are part of the Ganges Delta, the largest flood
plain in the world. The flood caused major havoc in Bangladesh
throughout history. Especially during the recent years of 1987, 1988 and
1998.
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| People lost everything from family members to their home, food, animals, etc. Source Link: http://dailytheology.org/2013/09/27/the-moral-imperative-to-act-for-climate-justice/ |
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| Only house to be
seen for miles, a few animals find shelter around this house which was
in one of the high grounds that merely survived the water from breaching
its wall. Source Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/05/world/asia/05flood.html?_r=0 |
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| Most of the country was under water for a month and Dhaka the capital was completely immobilized for a least 2 weeks. Source Link: http://dailytheology.org/2013/09/27/the-moral-imperative-to-act-for-climate-justice Aftermath
To further increase the risk of
flooding, Bangladesh is a frequent receiver of cyclones. These fierce
winds create chaos in the water, and often destroy banks and dams. Since
Bangladesh is adjacent to warm ocean, cyclones are a common
occurrence.
There is not enough land in Bangladesh,
especially with the number of people that are farmers, so people take
whatever land they can get, including slopes. The soil that is being
eroded then reduces the depths of the rivers, making them easily
flooded. A foot deep river can become a twenty feet deep flood. The
flood of 1988 as its known resulted in over 1 million people losing
their homes, over 1000 people were killed and millions were made
homeless. As the waters drained away, brown fields of rotting crops,
villages buried in sand and silt,and wrecked roads and bridges were left
behind. The floods cost the country almost 1 billion dollars.
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