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Floods of Gorai-Madhumati and Arial Khan Rivers, Bangladesh

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Floods in the Ganga–Brahmaputra–Meghna Delta

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Abstract

The very seasonal climate of Bangladesh, along with the monsoon runoff that comes from the country’s three most important Himalayan rivers, makes it prone to floods. As a consequence of the historically eastward movement of the Ganges mouth and the significant local rainfall, the whole Ganges Dependent Area (GDA) river system was developed. Arial Khan and the Gorai-Madhumati remain linked to the Ganges-Padma, serving the southwest and south central regions, respectively. The Gorai, a meandering alluvial perennial river, is the principal Ganges River distributary. A significant portion of Bangladesh’s freshwater supply comes from the Ganges River near Gorai. The key concerns related to the Gorai-Madhumati River are the diversion of river flow in the upstream, as well as the degradation of the riverbed, the infiltration of salt water, the disturbance caused by excessive sedimentation, and the resulting flooding. These attributes have made the river a source of anxiety since it affects the agriculture, biodiversity, and freshwater supply of the southwest area. The upper portions of the Arial Khan River, which is a significant river running south and east and is a distributary of either the Ganges or the Padma, have been weakened by the monsoon flood. The water level of the Upper Arial Khan River has been recorded to have surpassed the danger threshold during prior flood occurrences in Bangladesh, causing significant flooding in the floodplain. Flood control continues to be a difficult task in Bangladesh despite the fact that the country has been hit by a number of disastrous floods in recent years. Due to its complexity, breadth, and interdisciplinary character, flood control is a cross-sectoral endeavor. This research used a number of secondary sources, such as national and international newspapers, books, journals, and relevant articles, and aims to understand the environmental and human causes of the Gorai-Madhumati and Arial Khan River floods, as well as to analyze flood vulnerability, consequences, and coping techniques in Bangladesh to propose a long-standing mitigation strategy.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography and Environment, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh

    Al Artat Bin Ali, Nazmoon Nahar Sumiya & M. Shahidul Islam

Authors
  1. Al Artat Bin Ali
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  2. Nazmoon Nahar Sumiya
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  3. M. Shahidul Islam
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography, Aliah University, Kolkata, India

    Aznarul Islam

  2. Post-Graduate Department of Geography, Raja N.L.Khan Women’s College (Autonomous), Midnapore, West Bengal, India

    Pravat Kumar Shit

  3. Environmental Science Discipline, Khulna University, Khulna, Bangladesh

    Dilip Kumar Datta

  4. Department of Geography and Environment, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh

    M. Shahidul Islam

  5. Department of Geography, Kalipada Ghosh Tarai Mahavidyalaya, Darjeeling, West Bengal, India

    Suvendu Roy

  6. Department of Geography, Chandrapur College, Purba Bardhaman, India

    Sandipan Ghosh

  7. Department of Geography, Krishnagar Government College, Krishnanagar, India

    Balai Chandra Das

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Ali, A.A.B., Sumiya, N.N., Islam, M.S. (2023). Floods of Gorai-Madhumati and Arial Khan Rivers, Bangladesh. In: Islam, A., et al. Floods in the Ganga–Brahmaputra–Meghna Delta. Springer Geography. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-21086-0_22

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