Storm Surges and River Flooding Bangladesh: A Rising Challenge in a Changing Global Climate

Bangladesh is a delta of the rivers Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna at the head of Bay of Bengal. The three main rivers the Ganges, the Brahmaputra and the Meghna rise in the Himalayan hills and drains a catchment area of about 1.5 million KM2 of which only 7.5% lies within Bangladesh. Numerous tributaries and distributaries of the river system covers entire Bangladesh. There is heavy rainfall within the catchment area of the G-B-M rivers concentrated within the four month monsoon period (June–Sept.).Bangladesh is prone to meteorological and geological natural disasters due to its geographical location, variable climate, variable topography, dynamic river system and exposure to the sea. Floods and cyclones are the natural disasters that Bangladesh faces recurrently. The steady increase in population continuously increases the potential for natural disaster in Bangladesh.The present scenarios of natural disasters in Bangladesh may aggravate due to possible changes in global climate as a consequence of global warming. Increase in precipitation and rise in sea level will increase the intensity and frequency of extreme events. The long-term implications of global warming with the addition of population explosion could make Bangladesh more vulnerable to natural disasters in years to come. This paper mainly focusses on the causes and occurrence of natural disasters in Bangladesh (especially 1988 flood and 1991 cyclone) and the weakness and strength of the existing measures in disaster prevention, mitigation and management. The counter measures and strategies which should be undertaken in disaster prevention/mitigation in Bangladesh have been recommended.