Water as Leverage- Setting the scene for a call for action

Water as Leverage for Resilient Cities Asia
Khulna
Organizing a City
amidst the Delta
[1]
Ganges
INDIA
Brahmaputra
BANGLADESH
[2]
INDIA
BANGLADESH
Khulna is situated in the largest
delta in the world. The Bengal Delta
consists of about 147,570 square
kilometers of rivers and floodplains
stretched out between the Himalaya
and the Bay of Bengal. The delta
consists of three transnational
basins: the Ganges, Brahmaputra
and Meghna.[1] The largest part
of the catchment area of these
three rivers, namely 62% of 1.72
million square kilometers, falls
within India; leaving Bangladesh
largely dependent on the water
management of a neighboring
country. [2]
That is why in 2012 the government
of Bangladesh, in cooperation with
the government of the Netherlands,
initiated the Bangladesh Delta Plan
2100. In the light of climate change,
the Delta Plan aims to ensure
long-term water and food security,
economic growth and environmental
sustainability through strategic and
more equitable water governance
and adaptive delta management.
But the Delta Plan has also been
criticized for endorsing an approach
that emphasizes engineering while
tending to neglect its impact at a
local level.
Jessore
Khulna
[4]
[3]
[6]
Dhaka
Bangladesh
Delta Plan
Coastal Zone
[5]
Meghna
Most of the delta’s surface lies just
above sea level. Khulna is located in
the center of the tidally active part of
the Bengal Delta. Thus, it is part of
the delta’s most flood-prone zone, at
risk of severe damage when the sea
level rises. A rise of 25 centimeters
could already wash away Khulna and
its surroundings. The city is also very
vulnerable to tidal floods, cyclones,
storm surges and water logging after
heavy rainfall. The combination of
typhoons and high tide in particular
leads to surges that inundate large
parts of the city, affecting thousands
of people.[3]
The rest of the Bengal Delta is
endangered as well. It is estimated
that, without appropriate measures,
by 2050 an additional 14% of the
country will be extremely vulnerable
to floods and more than 35 million
people will be dislocated in coastal
districts.[4]
As part of the deltaic coastal zone,
Khulna is one of the Delta Plan’s
hotspots focused on coastal defense
and land reclamation.[5] But as
a crossroads between the Mongla
Port and Jessore airport, between
the major cities of Calcutta and
Dhaka, Khulna’s strategic position
also opens up opportunities for
renewable energy, ecotourism and
port development.[6] The severity
of Khulna’s case and its relationship
to other urbanized areas within
the delta remains unclear. For how
long and in what way can Khulna
strengthen its relationship with the
Bengal Delta when, at the same
time, the precarious condition of this
delta is the biggest threat to the city?
What are the strategies that could
turn this threat into an opportunity?
And how can these lead to projects
that aim to improve the urban quality
of Khulna on the local level?
102 Call for Action
PART 1 / From Global Water Issues to a Call for Action
Calcutta
Mongla
103