Flood characteristics under changing climatic conditions in Meghna delta, Bangladesh

The paper presents the outcomes of a research study conducted to assess socio-economic impacts of floods under rising sea level conditions in the Meghna delta of Bangladesh. The Meghna delta is home to several highly populated cities including Barisal and Khulna and highly likely to be affected by rising sea level to a great extent due low elevation. The study focuses on understanding the flooding characteristics under projected climate and economic scenarios. An integrated hydrodynamic model, which is a combination of a surface and river flow models (SRFM), was utilized for flood simulation. For the calibration and verification of SRFM, some selected major flood events of 1998 and 1988 were considered. For future flood inundation analysis and socio-economic impact estimation, years 2050 and 2100 were selected. The duration of flooding was computed using simulated water level hydrograph at each computational grid point. A set of indices developed based on questionnaire survey outcomes were used for a qualitative estimation of socioeconomic impacts due to floods.