Floods in Bangladesh have been one of our biggest challenges ever since our inception as a nation. What is disappointing, however, is that it appears that, despite floods being a yearly occurrence, we continue to be caught off guard, leading to untold destruction and loss of property.
Indeed, as per a new report, nearly 60% of Bangladesh population is exposed to high flood risk, where floods submerge 20-25% of land area every year while extreme flood events submerge 55-60% of Bangladesh.
Climate change is not helping matters as well, with the report stating that river flow could increase by 36% in the next 50 years. All of this points to one thing -- we must be better prepared.
Floods in 2022 caused damage worth $1 billion and affected 7.3 million people, painting a harrowing picture of just how unprepared we continue to be with regard to damage prevention.
While a lot of it is unfortunately out of our control, being proactive with regard to preparedness and awareness will go a long way to ensure that we minimize damage from the yearly floods.
Bangladesh has come too far as a nation for it to still be recognized globally as the flood-affected nation. Only a concerted effort from both the public and private sector will ensure that we turn around our reputation, while simultaneously ushering in a new era of preparedness.
As we march closer towards Vision 2041, minimizing damage from natural disasters will play a major role in ensuring we reach our goal, and to that end, it is being prepared that will be our first line of defense.