2.2 Case Study - Ganges Bangladesh Flashcards
Location
It flows through India and Bangladesh where it becomes the River Padma and joins with the Brahmaputra River
Area of the rivers and its drainage basin
- The Ganges is 2,510km long
- The drainage basin covers 1.2 million km2
- Brahmaputra is 3,969 km long
- The drainage basin covers 651,334km2
River source and mouth
- Source is in the Himalayan Mountains
- Waters enter the sea in the Bay of Bengal
Population around Ganges/Brahmaputra
The population living within the area drained by the Ganges is over 650 million people
Opportunities posed by the Ganges
- Water supply
- Agriculture and fishing
- Culture
- Tourism
- Flat land
- Energy
How is water supply an advantage of the Ganges?
There are many cities including New Delhi and Kolkata along the Ganges/Brahmaputra drainage basins which take their water supplies from the river
How is agriculture and fishing an advantage of the Ganges?
- The regular flooding in the drainage basin leaves deposits of alluvium which are rich in nutrients and ideal for growing crops such as rice and jute
- The rivers provide water for irrigation and for the flooding of rice fields
- Fish from the river provide food and jobs for local people
How is culture an advantage of the Ganges?
The Ganges is sacred to Hindus and is worshipped as the goddess Ganga
How is tourism an advantage of the Ganges?
- Three sites which are holy to Hindus lie on the banks of the Ganges (Haridwar, Allahabad and Varansi) this leads millions of pilgrims to visit each year
- Rafting and river cruises are also increasingly popular
How is flat land an advantage of the Ganges?
The flat floodplains mean that construction is easy, and the floodplains have one of the highest density populations in the world
How is energy an advantage of the Ganges?
There are a number of dams along both rivers including the Tehri Dam on the Ganges, which is the biggest hydroelectric power plant in India
History of flooding of Ganges?
The Ganges/Brahmaputra drainage basin regularly experiences floods including most recently in May 2022
* In 1998 75% of Bangladesh was flooded over 30 million people were made homeless
* Over 1000 people died
* 700,000 hectares of crops were destroyed
Human causes of flooding (3)
- Deforestation particularly in the upland areas leads to less interception and infiltration increasing overland flow
- Human induced climate change has led to increased melting of Himalayan snow and ice which increases discharge. It may also have affected climate patterns leading to increased frequency and severity of tropical cyclones
- Urbanisation as the population increases and there is more rural-urban migration this leads to increased overland flow due to impermeable surfaces
- Agriculture increases overland flow and soil erosion which reduces the capacity of the rivers
Physical causes of flooding (3)
- Low-lying land- the land in the Ganges delta in Bangladesh is at or just above sea level meaning that it floods more easily
- Climate - Bangladesh has a monsoon climate which means that there are heavy and prolonged rains for a number of months
- Tropical cyclones - these bring heavy rainfall
- Melting snow and ice from the Himalayas in spring leads to a rapid increase in river discharge
Flood Action Plan (name 4)
Funded by the World Bank and a number of MEDCs, measures that were proposed include:
* Monitoring of flood levels
* Construction of levées/embankments
* Building 5000 flood shelters
* Creating flood water storage systems
* A more effective flood warning system
* Building of dams to store water
* Reducing deforestation
