The Sundarbans

• where


  Bangladesh
• Sundarbans


  low lying islands in the Bay of Bengal, spread across India and Bangladesh, famous for its unique mangrove forests. This active delta region is among the largest in the world, measuring about 40,000 sq km

  home to 3 million people
• features of the sundarbans delta


  extensive network of interconnecting smaller channels called khals drain the land when the tide goes out

  islands of sediment formed from sediment known as chars

  south-westernly winds blow the sediments into large ranges of sand dunes on the chars and along the coast

  large generally straight channels running north to south. generally up to 2km wide

  low flat land made from silt deposists
• sediment comes from the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers
• delta


  a landform created when sediment is carried by a river which moves into slower water and deposists it. This builds up over time, and creates islands (chars) seperating the river into channeks. This repeats until the river is just small streams (khals) seperated by islands
• mangroves


  mangrove trees grow in low oxygen soil. mangrove forests cant withstand freezing temperatures. mangrove trees have dense tangles of prop roots which allow them to handle the changing of tides
• why are they beneficial


  roots slow water and allow sediment to build up reducing erosion from storm surges, waves, tides and currents
• how people make a living


  mangrove forests provide goods like fuel (firewood and charcoal), construction materials (timber), fishing materials, household items (glue, wax), food and drink, textiles and other products.
• protection


  the mangroves protect the coastline from the storm winds, floods, tsunamis and coastal erosion. it is said that a density of 30 trees per 0.01 hectare can reduce the destructive force of a tsunami by up to 90%
• provision


  the sundarbans provides breeding grounds and nursery grounds for fish. this in turn provides fishing grounds which support coastal livelihoods. The sundarbans forests are a huge carbon sink, absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and therefore benefitting communities both locally and globally by lowering CO2 level
• mainenance


  the fluvial (river) and maritime (coastal) processes maintain a natural equilibrium by transferrring and storing water and sediment. this contributes to the soils and organic matter that are vital to peoples livelihoods. mangroves are vital to these processes as they stabilise soils and control water movement
• value


  the sundarbans provide value to its population: the area has a clear culture and heritage; traditional ways of life can be preserved and adapted to the present day. it provides educational and scientific information about esturine environments, mangrove forests and biodiversity that can be accessed by people locally and worldwide. the sundarbans has the potential to be used for recreation and tourism
• natural/environmental threats


  cyclones - major cyclones cause storm surges that smash into the delta sweeping people, livestock, and crops from the lowlands. In 2007 cyclone Sidr caused thousands of deaths and significant damage to infrastructure

  In 1970 a cyclone killed 300,000+

  Monsoon rains also cause frequent flooding. On average about 1/3 of the country floods duirng the rainy season

  Earthquakes, droughts and landslides also occur
• coastal flooding


  land on the coast is being flooded by sea water due to rising sea levels. this could lead to coastal towns being destroyed
• human induced threats


  deforestation in upper watershed of the Ganges and Brahmmaputra rivers worsens flooding downstream

  contamination and pollution of coastal waters by cities, industry and fish farming

  destruction of mangrove forest and deforestation of coastal hills
• human challenges


  overexploitation of coastal resources from vunerable habitats

  conversion of wetlands to agriculture

  destructive fishing techniques

  lack of awareness

  resource use conflict
• instability


  islands could be completely eroded away forcing people to migrate and casuing many valuables and properties to be lost
• ICZM - storm surge shelters


  over 2000 cyclone storm surge shelters have been constructed serving 27% of the coastal population at risk of flood hazard.

  saves people from being killed, serves as a social centre wjen not in use - can be used as schools/ community centres

  some argue it is not nearly enough for the scale of need
• ICZM - Coastal embankment project


  near 5000km of embankment in the form of 123 barrier dams have been raised to protect vunerable farmland

  protects farmland from inundation by saline flood water protecting crop yields

  it has reduced the flow of tidal waters, increased sediment deposition, raised the channel bed of distributaries and increased water logging of adjacent farmland causing deterioration of farmland, forestry and fisheries such that people have had to abandon their ancestral homes
• ICZ - Mangrove afforestation & coastal greenbelt policy


  mangroves are a semi-marine tropical tree that grows in shallow water with roots that rise above the surface. They are able to absorb cyclone wave energy along storm prone coasts. 148,000+ hectares of mangrove afforestation along on and offshore coastlines of the central region of Bangladesh. Vegetation has been planted along 9000km of rail, road and coastal embankments and island foreshores by the coastal greenbelt policy

  protects the area from cyclones by decreasing wave energy which also saves lives

  inadequate knowledge of suitable species and local habitat conditions meant planting was hit and miss in its survival
• mitigation stratergies


  3500km of embankments to prevent flooding

  protection of mangrove forests and replanting areas previously cleared

  government and ngo funding to provide cyclone shelters and early warning systems
• adaptations


  grassroots NGOs run education programmes to encourgae farmers to return to more traditional ecologically-friendly methods

  NGOs provide education and training about community level preparation for natural disasters

  USAID trains communities to become resilient to future climate shocks. 30,000 people have recieved training on improving agricultural techniques

  building more cyclone shelters

  new salt tolerant rice varitites

  NGOs built latrines on higher grounds and educate communities about water and sanitation and water-borne diseases

  installing storage tanks for rainwater in areas most at risk from inundation from salt water

  distributing water-tight containers to store belongings in during floodsxzz