Mangrove root, Bangladesh. Photo source: ©© Khaled Monsoor
Excerpts;
November is the cruelest month for landless families in the Indian Sundarbans, the largest single block of tidal mangrove forest in the world lying primarily in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal…
Designated a World Heritage Site for its unique ecosystem and rich biodiversity, the Sundarbans are highly vulnerable to sea-level rise and intense storms. Half of the region’s mass of 9,630 square km is intersected by an intricate network of interconnecting waterways, which are vulnerable to flooding during periods of heavy rain.
Roughly 52 of the 102 islands that dot this delta are inhabited, comprising a population of some 4.5 million people. Having lost much of their mangrove cover to deforestation, these coastal-dwelling communities are exposed to the vagaries of the sea and tidal rivers, protected only by 3,500 km of earthen embankments.
Most of the islands lie lower than the 3.5-metre average of surrounding rivers…
Sinking Sundarbans: A Photo Gallery by Peter Caton, Greenpeace, (11-23-2010)
The seas around the islands in the Bay of Bengal that support a unique mangrove ecosystem, are rising faster than anywhere else on Earth, and the lives and livelihoods of more than 4 million residents are under threat from rising waters…
The Coming Storm, The National Geographic (05-05-2011)
The people of Bangladesh have much to teach us about how a crowded planet can best adapt to rising sea levels. For them, that future is now…
Bangladesh Sand to Help Keep the Maldives Afloat, Business Standard (01-13-2011)
How to Save Bangladesh? The New York Times (05-17-2012)
Bangladesh sits at the end of the cone of the Bay of Bengal. The country is infamous for natural disasters. Most of the land is flat and just above sea level, every storm sweeps across the country without any obstacles, and tidal surges pound the coast. About 150 million people live here, and the population density is one of the highest in the world after places like Singapore and Hong Kong…
Floating Gardens, a IRIN Video (06-16-2013)
In Bangladesh, the ancient practice of floating gardens, beds of straw and water hyacinths on which crops are grown, is making a comeback in the face of increased floods.
Boat Schools : A Floating Future, a IRIN Video (12-23-2013)
Every year millions of school children in Bangladesh miss countless school days when their schools are flooded. But now local NGO have come up with a simple solution, building schools that float…
