Freshwater Case Studies

Flooding in Bangladesh
People of Bangladesh living with disaster for generations o Economically poor country o BUT land rich agriculturally o And sea is excellent for fishing o 135 million people in one of most densely populated areas in world o Most live on low-lying alluvial plain >1m ASL o Brahmaputra, Ganges, Meghna rivers come together form massive delta occupies 80% of countrys area (source=Himalayas) & provides abundant water + rich nutrients (silt form) o Rains mid-March to Oct.; Himalyan snow melts in spring Rivers carry melt water + heavy rains through India to Bangladesh o Recent years deforestation on Himalayan Slopes, decrease in interception land upstream does not absorb water as much as before + rivers more over burdened landslides upstream from deforestation added tons of sediment to streams when flow velocity decreases, rivers deposit load, blocking channels then rivers overflow imagine how this inundation of flood water affects the people o Water from rivers not only problem o In fall (discharge rates starting to subside) tropical cyclones (hurricanes) hit the coast coastline devastated by storm surges, whole villages regularly destroyed, thousands die annually 1970 largest sea flood disaster of all time occurred over quarter million people swept away and drowned July 1999, heavy rains 2million people displaced officials say floods affect as many as 17 million people throughout Bangladesh + surrounding countries WHY DO BENGALIS STAY? o Many poor + cannot afford to leave o Stay b/c land is home o Stay b/c soil is rich + farmers can produce enough food for their families, extra leftover, on relatively tiny plots of land o Rice yields highest among the world Difficult legal matter = land ownership o Each year, rivers redefine land o Islands farmed one year gone, new ones appear as river channels changes after every rainy season o People are adaptable & move to new islands in the delta as landscape changes o Admire tenacity and resilience Solving problem almost impossible o Too little land and too much water, not much that can be done

Built up the levees on the river banks to try and contain water = NOT WORKED b/c when storm surge from cyclone flows over levees, it is next to impossible to get rid of the sea water since it is dammed behind embankments o Bengali commentator: we should live with the rivers and benefit from them rather than fight them and go against nature New remedial plans include the following o Riverbeds need to be dredged of deposits that block them, thus facilitating water flow o Funding needs to be given for adequate elevated housing, using material dredged from river channels o Use of water transportation rather than roads b/c then the Bengalis wont have to rebuild their transportation network every year when destroyed o Permanent food shelters = when relief is needed o Communications technology should be used to alter residents to storms, go to higher ground Most agree strategies will solve problems yet work is hampered by the lack of money available o Dredging, elevated housing and improved communications are being implemented o Holistic approach will not solve problems, but alleviate suffering endured, on-going basis NEED for seawalls o to keep storm surges from washing for up river estuary o eroding the valuable land o and washing people out to sea

The Thames Barrier is a unique flood control structure on the River Thames at Woolwich
Reach in East London. It is 520 meters across and protects London against flooding caused by tidal surges from the North Sea. http://www.21stcenturychallenges.org/focus/the-thames-barrier/