ABSTRACT
Living in the downstream, as a total of 140 million are living in Bangladesh, is not easy. It is a part of the largest delta on Earth, created by the three mighty eastern Himalayan Rivers: the Ganges, the Brahmaputra, and the Meghna (GBM) (Figure 10.1). The lowlying delta has been created over millennia by the sediments carried by the water of the GBM systems, the combined flow of which is the second largest after the Amazon River. The monsoon circulation has generally brought moisture aplenty, while fertile lands have given adequate food grains for consumption and wealth creation. No wonder, several globe trotters have described the land the most prosperous country on Earth (Batuta, 1355). Simultaneously though, the happy going farming communities had to suffer through frequent water-related hazards, mostly in the form of floods. Then came a particular time in human civilization, which witnessed an unprecedented exploitation of earthly resources coupled with rapid growth in human population. As a by product of anthropogenic interference, the downstream areas of the GBM systems saw artificial obstacles to natural flows, created for the benefit of quick transportation of goods, cultivation in the lands that were designated as hazard-prone, and diversion of water from the river itself! The latter appeared to bring in the ultimate horror: hydrological balance denied, ecosystem destroyed, crop suitability perished, livelihoods at the brink of collapse and economy doomed. It is of little relevance now to invest large sums of money and to engage state-ofthe-art technologies to strive for development, the fruit of such thoughtful steps can no longer guarantee a quality living in Bangladesh. Safeguarding development processes and results has become the foremost challenge to policymakers. Living in downstream of GBM has already become a hazardous proposition to those hanging around.
