Remote Sensing Application in Early Worning and ... - APRSAF

REMOTE SENSING APPLICATIONS IN EARLY
WARNING AND DISASTER MANAGEMENT IN
BANGLADESH
Abdul Halim Howlader
Space Research and Remote Sensing Organization
(SPARRSO), Mohakash Biggyan Bhaban, Agargaon, Dhaka-
1207, Bangladesh Fax: 880-2-8113080
email:howlader@sparrso.org

BANGLADESH
Location:
Lat. 20 38' & 26' 23' and
Long. 88 01' & 92 41'
E
Area:
147,000 Sq
Population:
140 Million approx.
Natural Resources:
Forest ,Fisheries, Water
and Gas etc
Disaster:
Flood, Cyclone, Tornado,
Storm Surges, Earthquake,
Bank Erosion etc.

Disasters in Bangladesh
• Cyclones & Tornadoes
• Floods
• Droughts
• Erosions
• Earth Quakes
• Environmental Degradation Due to
Deforestation, Agricultural Practices.
• Environmental Degradation Due to
Exploitation of Ground Water etc.

Disasters in Bangladesh
Cyclones
The cyclones formed in the Bay of
Bengal often damages the normal life of
the coastal people. The cyclones
generate surges up to a height of
several meters which sweep through
the flat coastal region. It damages lives,
properties including crops and
infrastructure and destroys other fauna
and flora.

Disasters in Bangladesh
Tornadoes
Tornadoes often formed at
different places in the country. It
is difficult to locate ahead of the
occurrence because of their small
size and short duration.
Damages lives and properties
almost every year.

Disasters in Bangladesh
Floods
Flood visits Bangladesh almost every year.
The major trans-boundary rivers, PBM,
drain about 92% of flood water of the
catchments area lying outside the country.
This along with the heavy rainfall outside
Bangladesh makes vulnerable to floods in
the country
Damages lives and properties including
crops and infrastructure almost every year.

Disasters in Bangladesh
Droughts
Cause delay in agricultural
processes due to reduction
of soil moisture and
eventually impose heavy
loss of crop production.

Disasters in Bangladesh
Erosions
It is a common phenomena for
almost all rivers in Bangladesh.
Rivers are continuously eroding
banks and depositing silt and
sand along their courses. The
river bank erosion create havoc
that erode the banks, agricultural
lands, houses etc. and make the
people homeless.

Disasters in Bangladesh
Earth
quakes
Earth quakes in low rector scale
are felt in some part of the
country particularly in the
Chittagong area which is a
warning to the people. The
Government of Bangladesh is
alert and actions are being taken
to create necessary facilities to
combat the disaster.

Disasters in Bangladesh
Environmental
Degradation
due to Human
Activities
Over
Exploitation
of Ground
Water
Agricultural
Practices
Deforestation
Shrimp
Culture
Arsenic
Problem
Land
Degradation
Erosion
Climate
Change
Salinity
Intrusion

Remote Sensing in Early Warning and Disaster
Management
Synoptic,
Repetitive
and Multi-
Spectral
Nature of
Data
Cloud movement and formation of
cyclones can be monitored.
Floods can be mapped.
Damage to agricultural
crops can be estimated.
Prevalence of drought can be
monitored.
Erosion can be monitored

Remote Sensing in Early Warning and Disaster
Management
Digital
analysis,
Numerical
and
Imperical
models,
GIS
Estimation of wind speed
and Prediction of cyclone
track and storm surges
Flood prediction.
Prediction of drought
Identification of vulnerable
areas along the riverbanks
and forecast of impending
erosion.
.........................................
.........................................
Early
warning
system
Management
Action

Remote Sensing in Early Warning and Disaster
Management
Cyclone
Since late 1960s, remote sensing is being
used for monitoring cyclones in the country.
NOAA-AVHRR data are being used to
monitor formation, intensity and movement of
the cyclones in the Bay of Bengal. The
accompanying storm surges are also
predicted. Based on these information an
Early Warning System has been
established in the country. This system
effectively reduces the damage lives and
properties.

Remote Sensing in Early Warning and Disaster Management
Statistics on Cyclone Damage
Cyclone
12 November 29 April 19 May
1970 1991 1997
Wind Speed, Km/h 223 225 232
Surge hight, m 6-9 3-6 4-5
Life claimed ~5,00,000 ~1,38,800 155

Remote Sensing in Early Warning and Disaster
Management
19 May, 1997
Cyclone

Remote Sensing in Early Warning and Disaster
Management
Tropical Cyclone of 1991
Wind speed: 225 km
Storm surge: 7.5 m
Dead:1,38,000 (approx)

Remote Sensing in Early Warning and Disaster
Management
Track of
cyclones
hitting
Bangladesh
in 1970, 91,
96 & 97

Remote Sensing in Early Warning and Disaster
Management
Remote Sensing and GIS in Mitigation Measures in Bangladesh
Floods:
Example
Monitored and mapped the devastating
flood of 1988, 1987, 1998 and 2004 using
NOAA and RADARSAT data. The flood
damages were estimated and statistics on
upazila-wise flood affected areas were
derived. The Government of Bangladesh
used this statistics for the post flood
management and rehabilitation in the
country.

Remote Sensing in Early Warning and Disaster
Management
Flood 1998:

Remote Sensing in Early Warning and Disaster
Management
Flood map
of the year
2004
39.5% of the
country was
affected.

Remote Sensing in Early Warning and Disaster
Management
Erosion
A number of studies based on
remote sensing data have been
carried out to detect the geomorphological
changes occurring
along the river banks and the coastal
areas. Extent of past and present
erosion have been monitored.

Remote Sensing in Early Warning and Disaster Management
Monitoring of
Everchanging
Courses of
Ganges-Jamuna
(1973, 1980 & 1992)

Institutional Arrangement for Disaster Management in Bangladesh

COLCLUSION
► Natural hazard is a common phenomenon in Bangladesh which takes way
thousands of lives and properties every year.
► To combat the effect of natural hazards scientists throughout the world have
come forward with tools like remote sensing and GIS. As a result early
warning of the natural disasters has got momentum for protecting lives and
properties.
► It has been noticed that human suffering and loss of lives and properties have
been substantially reduced recent years when proper disaster management and
rehabilitation activities were carried out in due time.
► International and regional community should come forward with essential
support to augment the present status of early warning of various kind of
disasters in the region.

Thank you very much for
your kind patience