Bangladesh’s Promised Treasure of the Future

Disputes against our existence

A few years ago, a study from United Nations Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) forecast Bangladesh, a country of more than 200 rivers, soon will be swallowed by the sea water of Bay of Bengal. They mentioned a time line, after the year 2050, southern part of the country will be submerged and 20 million people will be victim of climate migration.

Another study from NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), its director once divulged, at the end of the current 21st century the whole Bangladesh will go underneath the sea water. This report firstly published in British newspaper Guardian, this bombard news not only shook the Bangladeshi environmental analyst but also thundered the other Island countries unlike Bangladesh.

Recently Center for Environment and Geography Information Service (CEGIS) elucidated the report published by IPCC scrutinized only the effect of rise in sea water level and river erosion but put aside another vital issue-formation of new lands made by silts of the major rivers. With that, Bangladesh Water Development Board taking research on this criticized the IPCC report and proved it as ordinary and created with sense of motivation. They also researched about new land formation by silt up process. Billions of tons of alluvial deposits are gathering to the estuary of the rivers specially on Meghna which falls to the Bay of Bengal. Silts to the estuary of the river are creating a new Bangladesh changing the map and widening the area. CEGIS said, till now about 55,598 Square km added with Bangladesh by this silt up process.

Formation of New lands

About 5000 years ago most of the lands of Bangladesh weren’t in existence except Chittagong hill tracts and small hills of Sylhet and Comilla. At that period southern part of present Bangladesh was under sea water, later the whole country was structured through alluvial by the rivers Ganga, Brahmaputra and Meghna. The newly made place took an appearance like as Greek letter delta (in Bengali it is called Bodip) and it has become the largest Delta of the world. Present Meherpur, Shatkhira, Khulna, Bagherhat, Barisal, Pirojpur, Bhola districts are the gift of Bay of Bengal. According to IPCC, now, these lands are in risk of extinction. Due to global climate change, icebergs are melting consequently increasing in rise in sea water level and once this sea water will grasp Bangladesh.

Bangladesh is most vulnerable in natural disasters. In last centuries’ 50th and 60th decades several dams were built in coastal belt for protecting disasters like as flood or high tide, but in fact this gave Bangladesh extra land next to coastal area. These lands were also gift of silts as flood and high tide thrown silts to the area of the dam. CEGIS, in a report illustrated, after 1973 the satellite give proof of achieving new lands of 1000 square km by silts. In last 32 years research gave evidences that rivers from Himalaya every year adding 20 square km with our country map, this pushing the coastal line to deep sea. In last 200 years experiences, from 1780 to 1980, Bangladesh got 629 square km of silted land adjacent to coastal line.

Approximately 50-60 years ago South Talpotti, Nijum Dip, Urirchor and many other small islands were below sea water. With these (excluding South Talpotti) there are many secret islands that appeared on the basis of tide. Some secret islands are now established islands. Bangladesh has more or less 40 small islands, most of which are in between mouth of river Tetulia and Feni River created by the siltation of Meghna.

But, these islands are destroyed by cyclone, high tide and river erosion. From a sense this erosion is lacking less benefit. Moreover these destroyed soils are shifting towards the sea shore as cycle proceeds to landslides. By this process secret islands are destroying and seashore is filling with silt-soils. This natural system is widening landslides from south to north, not east to west. 300 years ago coastal belt line was 290 km and now it is approximately 314 km. From this comparison researchers explained coastal sea shore widened 28 km. However, negative changes in islands like Bhola, Hatia, Sandip also seen over the years. But, in comparison between the build up and destruction process this comparatively enlarging total area of Bangladesh.

Promised treasure of the future

Generally every sea is geographically defined into three sections- seashore, continental shelf, and continental slope. Continental shelf has slight slopes and covering depth 300m and 30 km width. In Bangladesh through the rivers Ganga, Brahmaputra, Meghna every year more than 2.4 billions of silt mixed with rain or flooded water falls to Bay of Bengal. But, most of the silts are shifting to the continental slope by high tide and continental shelf remaining unchanged. Bangladesh needs to fill the continental shelf but it isn’t happening. If Bangladesh builds dike or concrete dam in the continental shelf region it can grasp the silts and achieve huge amount of lands. These processes may give Bangladesh extra 10,000 square km.

Eventually, When global media and research organizations are questioning about existence of Bangladesh, it is the time to initiate a new era utilizing new technology of concrete dam or Dike for congregation of silts which can give birth of more lands. It should be recognized that every year Bangladesh loses bulk of land by river erosion but this can be retained by dam or Dikes. Thus, usages new technology can save 4000-5000 square km as well. We should consider about this promised treasure of the future.

[This article was prepared on February, 2011]