Cause And Effect Of Flood In Bangladesh

Research shows that global sea level rose about 6.7 inches in the last century. The rate in the last decade, however, is nearly double that of the last century.

Bangladesh, a developing country, is relatively unknown in the globalized world and is often confused with its dominant neighbor, India. The country as we see it now did not exist even 50 years ago.

Rising sea level can be caused by a variety of factors and can have an effect or influence even more. Future changes in sea level may impact human populations around the world and many other aspects of life on Earth more than many initially thought. The U.S. coast of the Gulf of Mexico is on track to be one of the most impacted by further sea level rise and the outcome could be detrimental to the entire coastline.

Due to Climate Change, the temperatures are increasing and there is a rise in sea

The Sea Level has increased over the past 200 years as average global temperatures have increased. The rise is due to two factors, the freshwater being added to the oceans from ice melt in the cryosphere, and the thermal expansion of the oceans due to rises in sea temperature. The sea level has risen 6 to 8 inches in the past 100 years. It is predicted to rise another 50 to 90 centimeters in the next century. As the sea level rises it’s jeopardizing rapidly growing coastal communities, which causes evacuation in some areas causing people to lose their homes. Sea level is the effect

The combination of these and other trends was an estimated average sea-level increase of 1.5mm per year between 1961 and 2003, which reached 2.4mm per year in the decade from 1993 to 2003. The decades prior to this trend showed only minor fluctuations in sea-level, suggesting that the current rate exceeds what could be caused by natural cycles. While the exact impact of rising oceans is difficult to determine, it is certain that the consequences will include some degree of flooding, integration of salt water into water tables, and a loss of land due to coastal erosion and submersion.6

Rising sea levels have caused tide lines to be increased by approximately 9.15 feet (Freedman, #3). This increase in tide makes all surrounding land very susceptible to damage, if a hurricane was to occur. Since studies show that during normal waters, tides can get this high, there is an approximation that water can reach up to 100 feet of just wave water in the event of a hurricane (Carey, #1). Also, because of global warming, sea levels are expected to rise an additional 2 feet in the next century (Freedman, #4). This is due to the melting of icebergs, ice caps, and arctic snow that eventually ends up in the oceans. With this additional 2 foot rise, coastal waters are expected to hit an all-time high. In addition to the rising of the tides, the actual area of the ocean will expand, causing any coastal industries, neighborhoods, or developments, to be highly susceptible of being underwater by the next century.

The world is in big trouble, so much trouble that instead of asking how much the sea will rise it is better to ask how fast. The oceans’ rise has been recorded at about a foot per century. Billions of dollars are spent by property owners and the government to fight against costal erosion. Even now the level of the sea rising is increasing at an alarming rate. One day, at this rate, cities will be submerging into the water. People will have to relocate, and finally have some perspective of the animals that are losing their homes due to the glaciers

First of all, There is strong evidence that global sea level is getting higher and will continue to rise during this century. There are some human activities, such as burning of fossil fuels and cutting down tropical forests, have gained atmospheric absorption of heat-trapping gases releases enormous amounts into the air. It means that the Earth’s surface temperature increases, and the oceans absorb that additional heat. There is no doubt that when the ocean is warmer, large ice formations, like glaciers and the polar ice caps, naturally melt back faster and add more water to the oceans. The melting ice caps are raising sea levels at an accelerating rate. According to Howard (2015), “A bombshell climate study published this week warns that

Rising sea levels are occurring from global warming and extreme climate change. The burning of fossil fuels and greenhouse gasses has released masses amount of heat into our atmosphere which is getting trapped, causing our earths temperature to rise. Our oceans have absorbed up to 80% of this additional heat. Our Earth is not used to the higher temperatures which has had a dramatic impact on Ice Glaciers, causing them to melt which leaves sea levels rising. This problem is on going and each and everyday we are all contributing to it.

Many of these people are in developing countries that are ill equipped to deal with the problem (monaghan). When the water levels rise, all of these people will be forced to relocate as their whole cities, towns, and homes go underwater due to climate change in Antarctica. In places like Florida, Bangladesh, and other low-lying areas, even modest increases in sea levels—the kind possible before the beginning of the next century—would have dire, civilization-changing consequences (monaghan). According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), sea levels have been rising about three millimeters per year since 1993 – totaling a 200 millimeter increase (7.87 inches) in global averaged sea level since 1870. This is a threat to many lives all over the world and is fast approaching us. Glaciers also contain billions of gallons of freshwater, meaning a rapid melt could mess with the salinity of the ocean. Since our salty ocean absorbs much of the carbon dioxide we pump into the air, that’s not the best scenario for global warming (Atkin). Global warming will continue to get worse if we do not change our ways now.

The effects of sea level rise are profound throughout the western coastal zone as it is low-lying and the coastal lands are subsiding (Karim and Mimura 2008) . Coastal wetlands such as salt marshes and mangroves will decrease in number unless they have a sufficient sediment supply to keep pace with Sea Level Rise. These physical impacts, in turn, have both direct and indirect socioeconomic implications, which appear to be immensely negative (Cazenave and Nicholls 2010).For example, based on national studies, a 1 m rise could cause losses of about 9.5 million tons of rice in Bangladesh (Mimura and Nicholls 2008). Rice is the staple crop of half of world’s population and it is the most major staple sustenance for Bangladesh. Sea level Rise will result in a food crisis in some regions of Bangladesh especially southern sub-regions as these areas are most vulnerable to flooding due to sea level rise; hence, rice production will be unsuitable (Karim 2014).

Given Malaysia's geographical location, most floods that occur are a natural result of cyclical monsoons during the local tropical wet season that are characterised by heavy and regular rainfall from roughly October to March. Inadequate drainage in many urban areas also enhance the effects of heavy rain, though efforts are underway to resolve this. Floods are regular natural disasters in Malaysia which happen nearly every year during the monsoon season the latest serious hit was in the east coast during end of 2014 and early 2015.With up to 200,000 peoples affected and 21 killed, it was described as the worst flood in decades. It also took more than a year for flood victims in certain states to recover and return to their normal lives. The geographical location of Malaysia makes it experience two monsoon seasons, the Southwest Monsoon and Northeast Monsoon. The monsoons bring more rain resulting in regular floods every year. Although flash flood only happens for a short amount of time, the damage done is very significant, there have already been three events of flash flood within the month. It happened in Klang, Shah Alam, and Teluk Bahang.

Rising sea level will also lead to flooding and pollution of water surfaces, which will then result in an increase in water-borne diseases such as cholera, typhoid and viral gastroenteritis.

Bangladesh is one of the largest deltas in the world which is highly Penetrable to Natural Disasters because of its Geographical location, Flat and low-lying landscape, Poverty, Population density, Illiteracy, Lack of Institutional setup etc. Similarly the Physical, Social as well as Economic states of Bangladesh are very typical to any of the most Penetrable countries to Natural Disasters in the world . The total land area is 147,570 sq. km. consists mostly of Floodplains (almost 80%) leaving major part of the country (with the exception of the north-western highlands) prone to flooding in the rainy season. Moreover, the adverse affects of Climate Change – especially High Temperature, Cyclones and Sea-level Rise, Storm Surges, Salinity Intrusion, Heavy Monsoon Downpours etc. has aggravated the overall Economic Development scenario of the country to a great extent.