Bangladesh being mostly a river delta, has its identity intertwined with that of its rivers. The rivers that flow through the country are the main cultural and economic arteries that the people rely on. The world’s largest river delta, The Bengal Delta, mainly drains out the water from the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Meghna rivers among others. This makes the region one of the world’s most fertile areas.
For thousands of years, the people of Bengal have lived by and depended on these rivers.
As the threat of climate change looms nearer each day, Bangladesh is one of the countries that are in high-risk of climate-related disasters and migrations. It is said that about a tenth of the country will be flooded if the sea levels just rise 1 meter. Each year, the sea levels rise 3.1 millimeters and the rate is only increasing. Not only are the floods caused by rising sea levels an issue, but riverbank erosion has been a constant threat for the unfortunate ones living next to the rivers.
Climate change has been an issue in Bangladesh that is constantly sidelined due to political and economic turmoil. With the proposed coal-fired Rampal Power plant next to the world’s largest mangrove forest, the Sundarbans, it puts Bangladesh into further risk of floods during cyclone season.
While proactive measures are yet to be taken to tackle climate change in the country, these are the people who were given everything by the rivers and now the river has taken everything away.