Flood

There are four types of flood:

1. Monsoon Flood: Monsoon flood generally signifies the rain from June to September or early
October. Monsoon is the seasonal reversal of wind direction caused by the differential heating
and cooling of land mass and oceans between summer and winter. During the dry monsoon the
wind blows from the north-east towards the sea and during wet monsoon the wind blows from
the south-west towards the land. The wet monsoon winds bring an enormous amount of
moisture, causing heavy rainfall in Bangladesh from June to September or early October. During
heavy rainfall, when the weather flow exceeds the holding capacity of rivers, canals, it inundates
the low lying areas causing damage to crops, homesteads, roads and other properties.

2. Flash Floods: The flash floods occur in the valleys of hilly regions. They occur between April and
May, in the northern and eastern rivers. Flash floods are caused by a sudden onrush of water
from upstream hilly areas, due to heavy rainfalls in the catchment areas. This flood is
unpredictable and don’t occur on a regular basis.

3. Rainfall induced floods: These occur during monsoon seasons due to very heavy rainfall. These
floods are usually localized and occur mostly in areas of poor drainage.

4. Tidal Floods: Tidal floods occur along the coastal areas of the country, and are accompanied by
storm surges. The intrusion of saline water inland is a nuisance to most people living there.

Effect of flood include:

1. People are rendered homeless

2. Valuable property is lost and roads are damaged
3. Crops are lost and livestock die in the onslaught of the river water
4. Provisions of food and clean water is in scarce causing people to die because of starving
5. Water born diseases spread among the flood victims

Flood control measures consist of:

1. Structures such as embankments have to be constructed to minimize bank overflow

2. Giving meteorological information to the people so that thy are prepared for the flood and can
proceed to a safer place
3. Reduce surface runoffs by intensive afforestation programs to increase the absorption of the
water
4. Planting flood resistant plants
 Drought
Drought: Drought is the term used to describe a prolonged period of dry weather along with insufficient
rainfall.

It occurs when evaporation and transpiration exceed the amount of precipitation for a time being.
During drought the moisture of the soil is not sufficient for the normal crop growth.

Cause of Drought:

 Most rivers that flow through Bangladesh have barrages built on it to hold back water during the
dry seasons, preventing water to flow into Bangladesh. This not only creates a scarcity of surface
water in some regions of the country, but it also prevents the groundwater level from refilling
properly. As a result there is a decline in the amount of moisture the soil gets contributing
hugely to the drought
 Deforestation results in the reduction of the water- holding capacity of the earth and leads to a
lack of rainfall, ultimately leading to drought.

Effects of drought:

1. Drinking water is scarce keeping people’s lives at stake

2. Crops fail miserably and food runs short leading to malnutrition and famine.
3. There is a scarcity of fodder for livestock causing their deaths.
4. Due to scarce of crop economy suffers greatly
5. The price of food increases
6. Plants and trees die leading to deforestation
 Arsenic Pollution
Causes of arsenic pollution:

1. Use of insecticides and pesticides

2. Waste disposal
3. Use of arsenic treated wooden poles for power grids

Effects of Arsenic Pollution:

1. It causes disease called arseniciosis which is basically the early manifestation of which are
appearance of dark and white patches on the skin
2. The l skin hardens due to the arsenic in the blood
3. It develops over a period of 5 to 15 years and takes a form of fatal disease
4. It can also lead to organ failures

Solution to arsenic pollution:

1. Removal of arsenic in household by filtration of water

2. Use of very shallow tube wells decreases the chance of water having arsenic
3. Store rainwater and use it for household works and drinking
4. Treat surface water so that it is safe to drink and use
 Deforestation
Effects of Deforestation:

1. Soil erosion can occur. Soil can wash down with water and cause flood.
2. Reduction of rainfall due to lack of evaporation from leaves
3. Climatic Changes is caused high amounts of deforestation
4. Many species of animals lose their habitats slowly causing them to go extinct