Mid Term Exam

Name : Nur A Alam Kader Parag ID: 171012084

SEC :1 Course : Climate change and debate

Course Code : GED 217

 Answer to the question no (1)

The coastal region of Bangladesh covers about 20% of total land area and over 30% of the
cultivable lands of the country. It includes highly diverse ecosystems e.g. the world’s largest
single tract of mangroves (the Sundarbans), beaches, coral reefs, dunes and wetlands. With its
dynamic natural environments, provides a range of goods and services to the peoples of
Bangladesh. It is agreed and documented that being a deltaic coastal country, Bangladesh is one
of the most vulnerable countries to climate change in the world.

Climate related change in coastal zones embodies potential additional stress on systems that are
already under intense and growing pressure. The country has already been facing several climate
change effects such as increasing cyclones, flood frequency probabilities, erosion, inundation,
rising water tables, salt water intrusion and biological effects. Coastal environments particularly
at risk include mangroves, tidal deltas and low-lying coastal plains, sandy beaches, coastal
wetlands, estuaries and coral reefs. These bio-geophysical possessions will have consequent
effects on ecosystems and eventually affect socio-economic systems in the coastal zone. The
Sundarbans, most important ecosystem of the country will be totally lost with one meter rise in
sea level. 

I think the costal area populations who leave their habitual residence in collectives, usually due
to a sudden impact disaster, such as an earthquake or a flood, threat or conflict, as a coping
mechanism and with the intent to return are the most vulnerable groups based on socio
demographic condition. Because there are so many geographical complication of this areas and
the economic status of this people are poor they has socially weak family structure and they
don’t want to change anything easily in their lifestyle.
 Answer to question no (2)

Yes I think surely El NINO And LA NINA would impact on the weather and climate system of
Bangladesh.

El Niño impacts on agriculture in Bangladesh can be strong, as demonstrated in past El Niño

events, and are linked to water shortages, soil degradation, and disruption in planting seasons.
Low rainfall is directly associated with reduced rice yields.  This would significantly affect food
security. In Bangladesh, water supply and its availability will be impacted by drought conditions
from El Niño.Already water-stressed areas may become more stressed with reduced rainfall.
These impacts will also be felt in the energy sector as hydropower production may decline due to
water availability in reservoirs and rivers. If hot conditions persist, energy use for cooling can
put additional demands on energy grids.even without El Niño Bangladesh has already suffered
the severe effects of water and power shortages. As rural, especially agricultural areas, are
impacted by El Niño conditions, cities may experience high rates of migration that can put a
strain on provision of basic and social services. There is evidence that El Niño is associated with
a heightened risk of certain vector-borne diseases in Bangladesh. This is particularly true for
malaria, but associations are also suggested with respect to epidemics of other mosquito-borne
and rodent-borne diseases that can be triggered by El Niño weather conditions.

La Niña is a risk, but also has benefits. It leads to increased rainfall in northern Brazil, Indonesia,
Malaysia and northern Australia and brings stronger than average monsoons to India and
Bangladesh. While some of these outcomes can be beneficial, the phenomenon is better known
for the damages it causes: harvests can be destroyed, threatening food security in many regions
of Bangladesh. During the 1998–1999 La Niña event, one of the strongest in decades, more than
66% of Bangladesh’s territory was flooded. Food shortages and waterborne diseases affected
more than 30 million people and killed several thousand. Total damages of well over USD 2.5
billion caused GDP growth to slow to 3.3% from the previous 5.6%. With 4.5 million tonnes of
crop lost, Bangladesh became a large-scale importer of rice, which put the government’s budget
under severe pressure.6 During that same La Niña event,
 Answer To Question No (3)

There are so many strategies can be taken by the local of coastal areas people of Bangladesh for
coping with the coming climate related disaster.

The people of Bangladesh possess a long history to struggle with natural disasters, espe-cially in
the coastal belt. Moreover, this struggle has increased to a great extent in therecent decades.
Most of the people in coastal area of Bangladesh are unable to read and write or are illiterate. So
they have no formal knowledge or training about how to copewith natural disasters. They try to
adapt with adverse situation of natural disasters bya pplying their indigenous knowledge and
practice

1.Communities’ perception and prediction indicators used in the natural

hazards
Many of the elderly people of the affected area claimed that they can perceive about the
imminent hazards by observing some signs of the environment. The wind blowing from the east
corner is the indicator of imminent natural hazards. Moreover, drizzling lasting for several days
and winds blowing from the east side bring the message of cyclone or tidal surge according to
them. If this wind blowing continues harshly, then the water level of the river may increase up to
10 feet, overflow the embankment and enter saline water into the locality. The densely black
clouds in the western corner of the sky also indicate the coming northwester (cyclone) according
to the respondents of the locality. This traditional/ indigenous knowledge is very much effective
among the inhabitants of coastal people, because by observing the sign/symbol, they can take
precautionary actions to combat the hazards and save their lives and properties. For example, by
staying at the high brick-built house/cyclone center, they can save their lives, and by keeping
livestock on safer place, i.e., high roadside or embankment, they can save it. In the same way, to
disseminate the knowledge for the purpose of being aware about the coming hazards after
observing the sign or warning, the village community forms a committee whose responsibility is
to inform people about the impending hazards. This committee member wears especial dress and
announces with loud speaker about the condition of the disasters and makes people aware about
the impending hazards. There is also hoisted black color flag in the special point of the village to
inform people about the upcoming hazards. Union parishad office as well as mosques authority
also announces disaster news by hand mike or other loud speakers.

2. Preventive measures taken by the communities to minimize loss

before disaster In order to save the houses from extreme cyclone and tidal surge, the people of
coastal belt raise their houses from the ground. Instead of using mud for making wall, poor
people use bamboo stick and Goran (tree) leaves to make wall as it cannot injure them after
breaking down during cyclone/tidal surge. They use straw to make thatch roof and strong rope to
bind the roof with big trees as it cannot swift away by tidal surge. Many of them also bind this
tin/thatch roof by strong rope with pillar in the earth. In addition to this, they plant big branch
trees surrounding their houses to protect it from the high speed of wind. Many of the coastal
people in the affected area have experience to perceive the upcoming natural hazards. This
people keep their valuable household properties such as ornaments, cash money and documents,
in the safe place from being spoilt in natural hazards. They keep these goods inside the ceiling or
inside the bamboos of the roofs. Sometimes, they keep it in the neighbors’ brick-built house by
locking in a box or hiding it in a hole in the earth. People who have crops try to keep it in a safe
place from the ruin of natural hazards. They keep their livestock on high road side or
embankment. Moreover, many a time, they allow domestic animals free from the sheds for the
survival of extreme tidal surges. Almost all of the members especially women in the affected
area are very much conscious about the security of their children and elderly people. So during
the pre- hazard periods, women keep children in safe place that may be in cyclone centers or
high brick-built houses, high embankments and so on. Elderly and disabled people are also given
importance for shifting to safe place from hazards. Some of the parents who have boat keep their
children inside the roofs of the boat to protect them from stream of water. Local/indigenous
knowledge is very much effective and scientific in coastal area because affected people practice
this throughout generation to generation. Moreover, having lived in remote area, the literacy rate
among this people is very low. For this reason, instead of practicing institutional disaster
management strategy, they can practice traditional strategy more effectively and comfortably.
However, along with traditional knowledge, the corporation of external knowledge would be the
most effective strategy to mitigate the loss during the natural hazards. So government should
incorporate the external knowledge to the local knowledge to combat natural hazards (Table 1).

3. Community’s response and coping mechanisms during and post-hazard

periods
During the extreme cyclonic events especially at the time of announcement of signal no 7, people
of the affected area involve in religious activities for satisfying Allah (God) to minimize the
disruption of cyclone. They think natural hazard is the curse of Allah, so they pray frequently in
mosques to satisfy Allah. On the other hand, Hindu community recites different mantras
(religious texts) and offers flowers, fruits, milk and bananas toward Goddess to please her to stop
hazards. This religious activity continues throughout the hazards. About the effectiveness of
religious activities, many of the respondents claimed that they do not know whether their prayer
work for mitigation disaster loss or not, but by doing this, they get mental strength and
confidence to overcome the hazards.
After the cyclone, people back to their house and find out family members, relatives along with
household properties and means of survivals. To exemplify the matter, fish-ermen search for net
and boats, and farmers search for plow, blades and cattle and so on.