Thursday, 29 January 2009

river ganges

the ganges is one of the major rivers of the Indian subcontinent, flowing east through the Gangetic Plain of northern India into Bangladesh. The 2,510 km (1,560 mi) river rises in the western Himalayas in the Uttarakhand state of India, and drains into the Sunderbans delta in the Bay of Bengal. The Ganges and its tributaries drain a 1,000,000-square-kilometre (390,000 sq mi) fertile basin that supports one of the world's highest density of humans.
Sollutions:
Bangladesh Flood Action Plan (FAP) - a plan to try to control the impact of the river flooding Main features of plan:
5000 flood shelters built on stilts in areas most at risk
Improved flood forecasting system using satellite and computers
Build dams to control river flow and hold back monsoon rain water in reservoirs
Complete and strengthen embankments along the main river channels to a height of up to seven metres

2 comments:

  1. Flooding in the Ganges basin - physical factors



    Heavy monsoon rain between April and September
    Tropical cyclones over the bay of Bengal in summer and autumn
    Melting snow in the Himalayas during summer months

    Flooding in the Ganges basin - human factors


    Deforestation in many parts of the river basin, e.g. Nepal, Bhutan and Northern India. This is a result of population growth (more wood is needed for cooking and heating. Also more forests are cleared for farm land). This has led to increased flooding. This is a result of:

    More erosion of soil as roots no longer hold soil together
    Less take-up of water by plant roots
    Less interception of rain fall by vegetation cover

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  2. · Bangladesh is only 5m or less above sea level, so it is already
    vulnerable to flooding.

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