September 2004 Flood Event in Southwestern Bangladesh: A Study of its Nature,Causes, and Human Perception and Adjustments to a New Hazard |
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| Authors: | Abu Muhammad Shajaat Ali |
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| Institution: | (1) Department of Social Sciences, The University of Texas at Tyler, Tyler, TX 75799, USA |
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| Abstract: | This paper examines the nature and causes of September 2004 hazardous flood that affected the dry and drought prone southwestern
region of Bangladesh. It also examines human perception of this new hazard and their methods of adjustments to its negative
impacts. Field research for this study includes personal interviews of 453 victim families living in four thanas (lowest administrative
units) in Jessore and Satkhira districts of southwestern Bangladesh. Findings of the study suggest that all victim respondents
viewed this flood event as a natural hazard, which has caused severe damage to standing crops, fish ponds, permanent trees
and homesteads, and deteriorated human health and sanitation conditions. Its long-term impacts on fish farming, soil quality
degradation, as well as changing land use/land coverage are also noteworthy but yet to be adequately explored. Both perceived
and scientific causes of this flood event include high rainfall for a week before the flood, unusual movement of low pressure
system into the affected area, cloudy weather and low evaporation, siltation of the regional riverbeds, and rolling back of
the Ganges River water through the Ichamati and Bhagirati rivers. These factors also caused hazardous flooding at the same
time in the Ichamati and Bhagirati Rivers and their floodplains in the West Bengal province of India. To release the overflow
of flood water inside India, the Indian border patrol breached the Ichamati river embankment in several places along Satkhira
and Jessore international border which had aggravated the flood situation in the study area. |
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| Keywords: | Bangladesh floods natural hazard perception |
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