Crop Insurance as a Risk Management Strategy in Bangladesh

Table 5.5: Partial listing of cyclones along coastal Bangladesh and respective surge heights
Cyclone Event Season Storm Surge Height (in meter)
November 1876 Post-monsoon 3.0 ~ 10.0
May 1941 Pre-monsoon 4.0
May 1960 Pre-monsoon 3.2
October 1960 (1 st event) Post-monsoon 5.1
October 1960 (2 nd event) Post-monsoon 6.6
May 1961 (1 st event) Pre-monsoon 3.0
May 1961 (2 nd event) Pre-monsoon 6.0 ~ 8.0
May 1965 Pre-monsoon 7.6
December 1965 Post-monsoon/winter 8.8
October 1967 Post-monsoon 7.6
May 1970 Pre-monsoon 5.0
October 1970 Post-monsoon 4.7
November 1970 Post-monsoon 9.0
September 1971 Monsoon 5.0
December 1973 Post-monsoon/winter 4.5
August 1974 Monsoon 6.7
November 1975 Post-monsoon 3.1
May 1985 Pre-monsoon 4.3
November 1988 Post-monsoon 4.4
April 1991 Pre-monsoon 4.0 ~ 8.0
Note: Surge height varies based on location, modified from Ali, 2003)
Drought
Drought is a recurring problem in Bangladesh : 19 occurred between 1960 and 1991. Drought
is typically caused when the monsoon rains, which normally produce 80% of Bangladesh’s
annual precipitation, are significantly reduced. The climate change is thought to increasing
the frequencies of droughts, as only five devastating droughts occurred in the hundred years
during the period of 1800-1900, yet since 1981, four major droughts have occurred in the last
35 years mostly in northwestern Bangladesh.
The southwest and northwest regions of the country are most vulnerable to drought. The
estimates from the climate models do not yield a clear picture of how droughts will change.
The estimated changes in precipitation are not significant. The models tend to show increased
monsoon precipitation and annual precipitation, which could mean fewer droughts. But, a
number of climate models estimate decreased annual precipitation, and the models tend to
show reduced precipitation in the winter months.
69