Case study - Bangladesh

• Background on Bangladesh

  • Borders India and Myanmar
  • Situated on the world's largest river delta (river confluence)
  • Low-lying floodplain landscape
  • 200 rivers dominate the country
  • Average elevation of 9m
• What type of country is Bangladesh?

  
  

  Bangladesh is a deltaic country
• Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta


  The delta Bangladesh is situated on
• Bangladesh has a population density of 1265 people per km2
• Flooding during monsoon season


  The land becomes fertile, essential for agriculture
• 60% of people in Bangladesh live in rural areas
• 80% of people in Bangladesh benefit from the flooding
• Glacial ablation causes flooding that makes the land around the Himalayas fertile
• Climate change


  Warmer temperatures means more monsoons and more flooding in Bangladesh
• The worst flooding Bangladesh faced was in 2020
• The south of Bangladesh is the most vulnerable to flooding
• During the monsoon season of 2020, 1/3 of Bangladesh's land area was flooded
• Diarrhoea outbreak

  Epidemic of diarrhoea that began to spread after the 2020 flooding
• Other water-borne diseases that spread

  • Typhoid
  • Hepatitis
• Reasons for the rapid spread of diarrhoea

  • Poor sanitation (Contaminated water supply)
  • Poor infrastructure (pipes and open defection)
  • Many people in a smaller area
  • Covid 19 slowed down aid
  • Many refugees in camps (Rohingya)- confined areas
• In the first two months after the 2020 flooding, 40% of Bangladesh was flooded
• 3.3 million people were affected by the 2020 flooding in Bangladesh
• 750,000 homes were waterlogged in the 2020 flooding
• 110,000 hectares of crops were destroyed in the 2020 flooding
• 1900 schools were damaged in the 2020 flooding
• 83 people died in the 2020 flooding
• 4500 people became ill due to contaminated water in the 2020 flooding
• Children


  Most vulnerable to diarrhoea - globally one child under five dies every 2 minutes due to diarrhoea
• Government actions to stop the spread of diarrhoea

  1. Promote use of oral rehydration solution and chlorine water purification

  2. Promote breastfeeding over formula milk

  3. Encourage sanitation with handwashing and sanitary latrines

  4. Improve female education and nutrition
• 70,000 lives were saved due to the government's policy in 2015
• Covid-19 impact on the disease outbreak in Bangladesh

  • Roads and transport were significantly lessened
  • Access to handwashing facilities were significantly less
  • More people were unemployed and had to sell assets for less money
  • Lack of medical supplies and aid due to restrictions placed by governments