Natural Causes Human CAUSES
(Blue-Similarities Red-Differences)
Netherlands
-Rising Sea Level -Netherlands is flat like Bangladesh -Located right next to North sea, which is why the climate is a key factor -Pressure climate brings high tides, giving a high chance of floods to occur as the Netherlands is very flat. -Melting snow from the Swiss Alps. Southern Netherlands is the foot of the mountain regions, therefore this slanted slope allows the melted snow to reach the flat cities of Netherlands, increasing the chances of flooding. -Southern Netherlands is the foot of the mountain region -The slanted slope allows melted snow to reach the flat cities, which is another factor that increases chances of floods occurring. - Rhine and estuaries forming deltas on coast - Urbanization/ land use in river flood plains - Flooding due to early snow melt - Use of flood plains for agriculture - Precipitation in the form of rain, snow, hail, sleet - Prone to flooding from sudden precipitation |
BangladeshLocation: located on the delta of two largest rivers of the Indian subcontinent
-In total the whole country is surrounded by 3 main rivers. -Heavy precipitation causes all 3 powerful rivers to have a peak discharge at the same time. Monsoon climate: Seasonal rainfall usually in the summer. Cyclones: Tropical cyclones often hit Bangladesh, bringing dense and heavy precipitation -Increases discharge rapidly and cause costal flooding -Drainage density will then shoot up combining with monsoon rainfall, flooding is very likely to happen. Snow: Melting of snow in the Himalayas result in heavy runoffs and soil erosion -Since most of country consists of a huge flood plains and deltas, drainage basin will easily overflow. Geography: 70% of land is less than 1 meter above sea level -Slight rises in sea level can be an instant threat - Rivers forming deltas on coast - Urbanization/major cities in flood plains - Flooding due to snow melt - Use of flood plains for paddy fields - Precipitation in only rainfall |
nETHERLANDS-Main causes is urbanization of floodplain
Excess water would flow out over marshes and floodplains, which would soak up the water -Land is used as farmlands or buildings, which causes it to lose the majority of its riverside marsh and floodplain to holdback the floodwater -Some land has been drained and is covered by concrete and tarmac for buildings and roads -Precipitation does not infiltrate through the soil in the ground anymore, as the ground has become saturated and impermeable -Resulting in increase of surface runoff as rainfall flows off roofs and roads and enters directly into drains, this also another factor that raises the river level after heavy rainfall -Transformation of the farming practices from pastoral to arable has led to removing hedges and forests then replacing them with ploughed fields -This caused the land to be less absorbed and minimized the magnitude of interception and infiltration -Flood protection measures have been built upstream as the reinforcement and elevation of embankments protect residential and industrial areas. -But by doing this, the steep concrete flood walls by the side of the upstream river banks has sped up the floodwater flow downstream -During times when heavy precipitation occurs, water flows down to the flood at the mouth rather than being absorbed into marshes neat it’s source. |
bANGLADESH-Main human causes of the flooding in Bangladesh is urbanization of floodplain
-Majority of Bangladesh made of floodplain of the Ganges and Brahmaputa rivers -Where amount of lands positioned less than 6m above sea level exceeds over half the country -The urbanization of floodplains increased the magnitude and frequency of flooding -Before the area is urbanized, rainfall can be infiltrated through soil and permeable rocks, reducing the amount of water that directly enters the river -Although, urbanization caused the ground to be covered with impermeable substances such as cement, the rain is unable to infiltrate through the soil anymore -Increasing the rate and scale of surface runoff. -There is less interception by tress and less evapotranspiration -Lack of trees elevates rate and amount of runoff -The river also experiences changes due to human causes -The river Ganges has been diverted for irrigation purposes, this removed sediments from the river’s load -It no longer builds up floodplain further downstream -Global warming which occurs mainly due to humans has elevated the sea level, adding onto the amount of precipitation in Bangladesh. |
The Netherlands and Bangladesh are two countries that are challenged by their geographical position, and climate. Although, the deal with these challenges, the two countries and very different due to their status of one country being an LEDC and the other being an MEDC. The governments and citizens have different priorities in the two countries. Netherlands place flood prevention higher than Bangladesh. Bangladesh places flood prevention lower, however not by choice but necessity. Its government has so much debt to pay, poverty and flood relief in the wake of previous floods. Bangladesh may not benefit from preventing floods, as adding in dikes like the Netherlands would cut off water from the river to the country's fields.
The Netherlands has a sufficient amount of financial resources, as they are fortunate enough to have a better plan and distribute land usage. As the Netherlands in an MEDC, that means 10% of the Netherlands is in poverty, while Bangladesh is an LEDC and has 30% of its population in poverty. Bangladesh’s population is almost nine times larger than the Netherlands, which has a low population growth rate. The Netherlands has time to conduct a plan for urbanization while Bangladesh must do this extremely fast to accommodate it’s large and increasing population.
The Netherlands has a sufficient amount of financial resources, as they are fortunate enough to have a better plan and distribute land usage. As the Netherlands in an MEDC, that means 10% of the Netherlands is in poverty, while Bangladesh is an LEDC and has 30% of its population in poverty. Bangladesh’s population is almost nine times larger than the Netherlands, which has a low population growth rate. The Netherlands has time to conduct a plan for urbanization while Bangladesh must do this extremely fast to accommodate it’s large and increasing population.
Netherlands and Bangladesh are very different when it comes to tactics of facing floods because Bangladesh's agriculture benefits more from relief and less prevention while Netherlands needs more prevention than relief for continued urbanization and expansion.