The earliest written record in Bangladesh is an inscription on a piece of stone that was discovered at Mahasthan in the district of Bogra. It shows that this city (then known as Pudanagala or Pundranagara) was an important urban centre when the Maurya empire dominated North India. It has been suggested that Mahasthan may have been a provincial capital of that empire. The inscription is in Prakrit, a language from which the Bengali language would develop in the tenth century ce, and it appears to be an order to fill up a storehouse with rice, oil, trees and coins against any emergency caused by water, fire or a devastation of the crops by parrots.

2. Disaster in Early Settlement
The earliest written record in Bangladesh is an inscription on a piece of
stone that was discovered at Mahasthan in the district of Bogra.
It shows that this city (then known as Pudanagala or Pundranagara) was an
important urban centre when the Maurya empire dominated North India. It has
been suggested that Mahasthan may have been a provincial capital of that
empire.
The inscription is in Prakrit, a language from which the Bengali language would
develop in the tenth century ce, and it appears to be an order to fill up a
storehouse with rice, oil, trees and coins against any emergency caused by
water, fire or a devastation of the crops by parrots.
The text is in the Brahmi script and hence this important discovery is
known as the Mahasthan Brahmi Inscription .

3. The Mahasthan Brahmi Inscription, third century BCE.

4. A natural disaster helped triggered liberation
war of Bangladesh
 The 1970 Bhola cyclone is generally credited with having kick-started the
series of events that gave rise to Bangladesh.
 The 1970 Bhola cyclone is considered the world’s deadliest cyclone, at
least since the past 150 years that records have been kept. Cyclone Bhola
struck East Pakistan, as Bangladesh was known prior to independence, on
12 November 1970 killing more than 300,000 people. Together with those
killed in India, there were half a million fatalities.
 Pakistan central government's half-hearted attempt at relief and
rehabilitation in what was then East Pakistan that strengthened the
liberation effort in Bangladesh.
 A callous response to the disaster by the Pakistani regime resulted in a
landslide electoral victory for Bengali nationalists, followed by a bitter and
bloody war.

5. Hazards in Bangladesh
 Bangladesh is the country with the second highest risk in the world due to
natural hazards. Risk involves exposure to hazards, vulnerability, as well as
institutional lack of coping capacity.
 Bangladesh has been affected by more than 200 natural disasters over the last
three decades.
 The country’s geographical location next to the Bay of Bengal, low-lying
terrain, monsoons, and significant rivers render the country very vulnerable to
natural hazards.
 From 1970-2019, storms have been the most frequent disaster to affect
Bangladesh at 52%, followed by floods at 31%, with the remaining disasters
being epidemics, earthquakes, droughts, and landslides.
 In addition, Bangladesh is one of the countries in the world most at risk from
the negative impacts of climate change including increases in incidence and
intensity of extreme weather events and hazards such as soil salinization, rising
sea levels and riverbank erosion.

7. Economic impact of disaster in Bangladesh
 Bangladesh's economic loss due to various disasters amounted to US$ 15 billion in the last 27
years, noted Japanese disaster expert Dr Kozo Nagami. It is estimated that 14% of Bangladesh’s
GDP is exposed to natural disasters, and 1.8 % of it is lost because of nature’s fury.
 Bangladesh suffered an estimated loss of approximately $11.3 billion last year (2020)due to
natural disasters such as tropical cyclones, floods and droughts, says a new multi-agency report
coordinated by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) of the United Nations.( it includes
extensive risk and indirect losses )
 Natural hazard events in Bangladesh during 2000–2013 are estimated to have affected 99.7
million people, resulted in 8,351 lives lost, and caused $10.8 billion in economic impact with
damages and losses to all sectors.
 Bangladesh incurred the highest economic loss amounting to over $4.0 billion in 1998 due to
various disasters, but the main damage was caused by flood. The country faced the second highest
damage of over $2.5 billion dollar in 2004. The yearly loss was estimated at nearly $2.5 billion
dollar in 2007, and it was $2.0 billion in 2020.
 Nearly 700,000 Bangladeshis have been displaced annually by natural disasters in the last decade.
By 2050, as many as 13.3 million Bangladeshis could be displaced by the various impacts of
climate change. As people migrate away from coastal areas, many are swelling urban slums,
particularly in Dhaka, which receives up to 400,000 low-income migrants every year.

10. Floods in Bangladesh

11. FLOODS
 Flood is the most common hazard that Bangladesh experiences being located in the world’s
largest delta, formed from the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Meghna (GBM) rivers and their
tributaries. Between 2000 and 2010, floods in the Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra- Meghna
river basins, among others, resulted in more than 20,000 fatalities with combined damage of
about $30 billion.
 Floods are an annual phenomena, with the most severe occurring during the months of July
and August.
 About 68% of the country is vulnerable to floods. 25%-30% of the area is inundated
during normal floods
 Regular river floods affect 20% of the country, increasing up to 68% in extreme years.
 The floods of 1988, 1998 and 2004 were particularly catastrophic, resulting in large-scale
destruction and loss of lives.
 In the last 100 years, floods have killed over 52,000 people, rendered more than 4 million
homeless, and altogether affected more than 300 million people

14. Four types of flooding occur in Bangladesh:
caused by overflowing of hilly rivers in eastern
and northern Bangladesh (in April-May and September-November).
caused by drainage congestion and heavy rains.
caused by major rivers usually in the
monsoon (during June-September).
caused by storm surges.

15. Flood affected area in different years

16. Floods in the last 25 Years

17. Cyclones in Bangladesh

18. Cyclone
 Cyclone is so far proven to be the deadliest hazards in Bangladesh.
 Around 10% of the world’s cyclones originate in the Indian Ocean and
the adjacent Bay of Bengal each year, which account for at least 85%
of the cyclone damage worldwide.
 5 of the 10 deadliest tropical cyclones in the world since 1900 occurred
in Bangladesh.
 The high number of casualties is due to the fact that cyclones are
always associated with storm surges. Storm surge height in excess of
9m is not uncommon in this region. For example, the 1876 cyclone had
a surge height of 13.6 m and in 1970 the height was 9.11 m.
 In fact, the 1970 cyclone is the deadliest cyclone that has hit
Bangladesh coastline. With a wind-speed of about 224 km per hour and
associated storm surge of 6.1 to 9.11m, it was responsible for deaths of
about 300,000 to 500.000 people.

19. Cyclone losses
 Available reports indicate that tropical cyclone events in
Bangladesh since 1900 have resulted in 0.75 million–1.23
million lives lost, 61.6 million people affected, and $4.7
billion–$9.0 billion in damages.
 Due to data gaps in some years, the actual historical
impact is probably more severe. The costliest tropical
cyclones on record are tropical cyclone Sidr in 2007 ($3.8
billion maximum) and the 1991 Bangladesh cyclone ($3.0
billion maximum).

20. Major cyclones that hit the Bangladesh coast

21. Tornado

22. TORNADO
 Tornadoes are embedded within a mother thundercloud, and moves
along the direction of the squall of the mother storm.
 Also there are severe local seasonal storms, popularly known as
nor’westers (kalbaishakhi). Severe nor’westers are generally
associated with tornadoes.
 The frequency of severe storms in Bangladesh is high, with an
average of over 150 events estimated per year. The majority of
severe storms have been reported in central Bangladesh, although
occurrence is generally well distributed throughout the country
 The frequency of devastating nor’westers usually reaches the
maximum in April, while a few occur in May, and the minimum in
March.
 Nor’westers and tornadoes are more frequent in the afternoon.

23. Some of the devastating nor’westers and tornadoes

24. River Bank Erosion

25. Noria Upazilla, Shariatpur

26. RIVER BANK EROSION
 A study concluded in 1991 reported that: out of the 462 administrative units in the
country, 100 were subject to some form of riverbank erosion, of which 35 were
serious, and affected about 1 million people on a yearly basis. Around 10,000 hectares
land is eroded by river per year in Bangladesh .
 Kurigram, Gaibandha, Jamalpur, Bogra, Sirajganj, Tangail, Pabna and Manikganj
districts lie in the erosion prone area along Jamuna River.
 Erosion of total area and settlement is higher along the left bank than that of the right
bank. Along Padma River, there are the districts of Rajbari, Faridpur, Manikganj,
Dhaka, Munshiganj, Shariatpur and Chandpur.
 A recent study of CEGIS (2005) shows that bank erosion along Padma River during
1973 – 2004 was 29,390 hectares and along Jamuna River during 1973 – 2004, it was
87,790 hectares.
 66,000 hectors of land losted due to Padma River erosion in last 51 years which is 2.5
time bigger than the Dhaka city. ( a NASA Report)

27. Areas Prone to Various Disasters

28. Earthquake

29. EARTHQUAKE
 Devastating tropical cyclones and floods occur frequently in Bangladesh, but no major
earthquake has affected Bangladesh in recent decades. This has created a feeling of
false security among the public and some decision makers to think that earthquake is
not a major hazard for Bangladesh
 Bangladesh is located in one of the most seismically active regions of the world, and
experienced numerous large earthquakes during past hundred years.
 The record of 150 years shows that Bangladesh and the surrounding regions have
experienced several major earthquakes .
 Bangladesh and the northeastern Indian states have long been one of the seismically
active regions of the world, and have experienced numerous large earthquakes during
the past 200 years.
 The record of approximately 150 years shows that Bangladesh and the surrounding
regions experienced seven major earthquakes (with Mb = 7).
 In the recent past, a number of tremors of moderate to severe intensity had already
taken place in and around Bangladesh.

30. Bangladesh has been classified into three seismic zones with zone-3
the most and zone-1 the least vulnerable to seismic risks

31. Drought

32. DROUGHT
 Bangladesh faces unpredictable drought hazard in the dry monsoon
due to inadequate and uneven rainfall.

 Bangladesh is at higher risk from droughts. Between 1949 and 1991,
droughts occurred in Bangladesh 24 times.
 Very severe droughts hit the country in 1951, 1957, 1958, 1961,
1972, 1975, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1984 and 1989.Past droughts have
typically affected about 47% area of the country and 53% of the
population.
 The drought of 1979 was one of the most severe in recent times. The
percentage of drought-affected areas was 31.63 percent in 1951, 46.54
percent in 1957, 37.47 percent in 1958, 22.39 percent in 1961, 18.42
percent in 1966, 42.48 percent in 1972, and 42.04 percent in 1979.

33. Drought affected areas of Bangladesh in different years

34. Arsenic Contamination

35. ARSENIC CONTAMINATION
 At present, arsenic contamination is identified as a public
health emergency in Bangladesh.
 Out of 64 districts, 62 are seriously affected by arsenic
contamination of drinking water from hand-pumps, known
as ‘tube-wells’ .
 In some areas, 80 to 100 per cent of the tube-wells are
contaminated with arsenic; even 20 years after the problem
was detected, there are 20 million rural people drinking this
contaminated water exposing them to Arsenicosis, an illness
that leads to a range of health complications and also fatality
.

36. Arsenic contamination status in Bangladesh

37. SALINITY INTRUSION
 Saline water intrusion is mostly seasonal in Bangladesh; in
winter months the saline front begins to penetrate inland, and
the affected areas rise sharply from 10 percent in the monsoon
to over 40 percent in the dry season.
 Coastal districts such as Satkhira, Khulna, Bagerhat, Barguna,
Patuakhali, Barisal are the victims of salinity intrusion.
 Agricultural production, fisheries, livestock, and mangrove
forests are affected by higher salinity in the dry season.

38. Salinity ingress in Coastal Areas

39.  Tragically, factory fires are all too common in
Bangladesh.
 The Tazreen garments fire broke out on 24 November
2012, in the Tazreen Fashion factory in Ashulia. At least
117 people were confirmed dead in the fire, and over 200
were injured, making it the deadliest factory fire in the
nation's history.

41. INFRASTRUCTURE COLLAPSE
 Incidents of infrastructure collapse are on the rise. Prevention
and preparedness programmes are absolute necessary at the
time.
 The 2013 Rana Plaza collapse was occurred on Wednesday, 24
April 2013 in Savar . 1,129 people were killed and
approximately 2,500 injured people were rescued from the
building .

 It is considered the deadliest garment-factory accident in
history, as well as the deadliest accidental structural failure in
modern human history.

42. 2013 Rana Plaza Building Collapse

43. 2013 Rana Plaza Building Collapse

44. Landslide
 Landslide in the recent years became major concern in
the south-eastern and north eastern part of the
country.
 Since 1997, the regions have experienced numbers of
moderate to severe landslides killed more than 1000
people and damaged property worth billion taka.
 The hilly parts are mainly susceptible to earthquake
and rainfall induced landslide.
 Among the hilly districts Bandarban, Khagrachari,
Rangamati and Cox’s Bazar are most vulnerable to
rainfall induced landslide.

45. LANDSLIDE
 Landslide was not considered a major hazard in Bangladesh. However,
recently landslide has emerged as a major hazard, particularly after the
Chittagong Landslide 2007.
 Due to heavy rainfall during 10 -11 June 2007, landslides and collapsed
walls caused widespread damages in six areas of Chittagong city and in
different Upazilas of the District. More than 120 people have been reported
dead due to Chittagong landslide.
 On 12 June 2017, heavy monsoon rain triggered a series of landslides and
floods in Rangamati, Chittagong and Bandarban - three hilly districts of
Bangladesh - and killed at least 152 people.
 In Bangladesh, landslides are mostly triggered by heavy rainfall. However,
underlying causes of landslide include deforestation, hill cutting,
unregulated development work, etc. Moreover, poverty and landlessness
force poor people to live in the risky hill-slopes.

46. 2007 Chittagong landslide

47. Lightning

48. Lightning
 " খালের ধালর প্রকাণ্ড বটগালের গুঁড়িলে ঠেস ডিযা হারু ঠ াষ িাুঁ়িাইযা
ডেে। আকালের ঠিবো ঠসইখালে োহার ডিলক চাডহযা কটাক্ষ
কডরলেে।মাডেক বল্যাপাধযালযর 'পুেু ে োলচর ইডেকথা’
 Lightning Hazard During the recent years, lightning hazard
trends has been raising concern comparing the others natural
disaster of Bangladesh.
 By observing the scenarios of fatalities due to lightning hazard,
the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief of Bangladesh
declared this hazard as a natural disaster on 17 May 2016.
 Generated statistics demonstrates that the Surma Basin,
northwest Barind tract, and northern Tertiary hilly region of
Bangladesh are more susceptible to lightning disaster during
the time span 2015–2018.

49. Biological Hazards
 Biological hazards, also known as biohazards, refer to biological substances
that pose a threat to the health of living organisms, primarily that of humans.
 Due to the high population density, low life standard and inadequate health
infrastructure and policy, Bangladesh is in high risk of any biological hazard.
 The country has faced more than 18 new diseases in the last 50 years
including COVID-19, HIV/AIDS, dengue, chikungunya, bird flu, swine flu,
nipah, zika etc.
 According to the ICDDRB report, 157 Nipah virus infections were reported in
2004, seven human infections and one death with bird flu have been
confirmed in 2007. A massive outbreak of chikungunya virus (CHIKV)
occurred in Bangladesh during the period of April- September 2017, and over
two million people were at risk of getting infected by the virus.
 The most recent biological hazard in Bangladesh is COVID-19 and the first
case of COVID- 19 was detected on 8th March 2020.

50. Country Risk Profile: Bangladesh

51. GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE AND RISKS FOR
BANGLADESH
 The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in its Fourth Assessment report (2007) described
following changes in climate trends, variability and extreme events:
 In Bangladesh, the average temperature has registered an increasing trend of about 1°C in May and 0.5°C in
November during the 14 year period from 1985 to 1998.
 The annual mean rainfall exhibits increasing trends in Bangladesh. Decadal rain anomalies are above long-
term averages since 1960s.
 Serious and recurring floods have taken place during 2002, 2003, and 2004. Cyclones originating from the
Bay of Bengal have been noted to decrease since 1970 but the intensity has increased.
 Frequency of monsoon depressions and cyclones formation in Bay of Bengal has increased.
 Water shortages have been attributed to rapid urbanization and industrialization, population growth and
inefficient water use, which are aggravated by changing climate and its adverse impacts on demand, supply
and water quality.
 Saltwater from the Bay of Bengal is reported to have penetrated 100km or more inland along tributary
channels during the dry season.
 The precipitation decline and droughts has resulted in the drying up of wetlands and severe degradation of
ecosystems.

52. Climate Vulnerability of Bangladesh

53. GLOBAL CLIMATE RISK INDEX 2020

54. GLOBAL CLIMATE RISK INDEX 2021

55. Food for Brain Storming ?!?
 Which hazard poses greater risks to Bangladesh?
 How could Bangladesh be prepared to face these
hazard more effectively?
 What are the new risks for Bangladesh in Recent
time?

56. S E E Y O U N E X T W E E K
Thank you