Crop Insurance as a Risk Management Strategy in Bangladesh

Disaster type: Flood
Flood affected site selected: Tahirpur thana of Sunamgonj district
Around 80% of Bangladesh is floodplain. Flood is almost a recurring event and agriculture is
probably the worst hit due to flooding. As shown in Figure 6.1 flood used to affect almost all
the country more or less. However, there are regions specifically vulnerable to flooding.
Figure 6.1 shows different regions of Bangladesh vulnerable to different types of flooding.
Sunamgonj is one of the regions highly vulnerable to flooding of flash flood type and used to
be affected almost every year. Tahirpur Thana of Sunamgonj district is again a region located
along the Haor region. As it is seen from Figure 6.2 and Table 6.1 that almost every year
water level crosses the danger level along the region.
Figure 6.1: Major flood types in Bangladesh
The flash flood causes huge destruction for the Boro crop only when it onslaughts earlier.
This early flood not necessarily because of water level above danger level, but damage the
Boro crops ready to harvest during April and May. A special type of submergible
embankment used to be constructed to protect crops from early flood, which later washed
away with increase in water level in the mid of monsoon. known Another substantial damage
occurs in the month of Kartik-Agarahayon due to the late flash flood. Among all, Boro crop
damage is the most severe because most of the people of the study area grow Boro paddy
extensively. After flash flood deposition of huge amount of silt over the land or increased
sedimentation of river also affect agriculture.
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