Harun Rashid

Urban riverbank residents’ evaluation of flood evacuation policies in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Abstract The results of a discrete choice experiment (DCE) as a part of a survey among the urban riverbank residents on the Red River in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, indicated that the risk of over-dike flooding, set at 2ft above the 1997 flood water level, was a significant determinant of both voluntary and mandatory evacuation, compared to those set at the 1996 or 1997 levels. Mandatory evacuation was more preferred over voluntary evacuation when the likelihood of flooding was at its most severe, and the opposite relationship was the case when the likelihood was low. The notification time for evacuation, suggested as 1, 2, and 4 days, proved to be an insignificant attribute, whereas the respondents indicated significant preference for full flood compensation over an offer of either 80% or 90% flood relief, irrespective of the alternatives of voluntary or mandatory evacuation.

Tropical Cyclones and Storm Surges

A cyclone is a low pressure system of the atmosphere in which air pressure has dropped below the standard (normal) atmospheric pressure and winds rotate inward in a counter-clockwise direction in the northern hemisphere and clockwise direction in the southern hemisphere. Storm surges, one of the most devastating hydrodynamic features of tropical oceans, strike low-lying coastal areas, often with great losses of human lives. Cyclone fatalities of epic proportions, widespread property damage, personal injuries, and displacements from homes resulting from destructive powers of super-cyclones in coastal Bangladesh can now be attributed to global warming, increases in sea surface temperatures, and ongoing sea level rise. This chapter gives a brief review of the preconditions for cyclone formation that may provide some insights into the genesis of a severe storm system.

Salinity Intrusion and Impacts

Salinity levels in soils, surface water, and groundwater in coastal Bangladesh have been increasing over past several decades. Present salinity concentrations have already threatened crop productions in the coastal region. Introduction of drip irrigation systems may go a long way for alleviating soil salinity problems. There is also a need for educating farmers about varied salt tolerance levels of different crops so that they could choose appropriate crops for cultivation. Development and adaptation of salt-tolerant rice and other crops and fish species seem to be the necessary steps for combating salinity problems in coastal Bangladesh prior to its complete inundation by sea level rise.

Land Use Change and Coastal Management

Land use change is a process by which human activities transform the natural landscape, referring to how land has been used, usually emphasizing the functional role of land for economic activities. Land use changes are often nonlinear and might trigger feedbacks to the system, stress living conditions, and threaten people with vulnerability . Therefore, not only do land use change trajectories need assessment, but also possible future conditions must be projected for certain assumptions, both basic to ensuring sustainable conditions. The primary aim of this chapter is to provide an analysis of coastal land use changes in Bangladesh by presenting temporal variations of land use changes in the coastal Bangladesh along with contemporary uses of coastal land. The chapter also includes a discussion of drivers of coastal land use changes as well as a discussion of coastal management efforts undertaken in Bangladesh.

Chapter Nine – Conclusion

In addition to tropical cyclones and storm surges, coastal Bangladesh is also prone to other hazards and disasters like floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, water logging, soil salinity, saline water intrusion, coastal erosion, and above all, climate change. Since the early 2000s, the Bangladesh government has adopted several plans and policies with the overall goal of creating conditions in which the reduction of poverty, development of sustainable livelihoods, and the integration of the coastal zone into national processes can take place. Extensive empirical research must continue to facilitate monitoring the progress of all existing projects in coastal Bangladesh.