Showing a Drone Controller to People in Bagerhat (2019-05) by CyArkCyArk
Over 150 million people live among Bangladesh's crisscrossing network of rivers and expansive delta, making the population density one of the highest in the world.
On a Ladder in Bagerhat (2019-05) by CyArkCyArk
Disrupting traditions
Rich with water and history, climate change is having an immediate impact on the everyday lives of people throughout the country. Today, climate change is disrupting traditional patterns and exacerbating many of Bangladesh’s existing hazards.
Fields in BagerhatCyArk
Affecting agriculture
Extreme rainfall over Bangladesh’s coastal region is increasing, while silt-heavy runoff from glaciers in the Himalaya Mountains upstream is leading to more flooding and riverbank erosion, displacing thousands. Every time a major tropical cyclone hits the coast, thousands more are forced to flee. These events are happening at an increasing rate as higher temperatures and seas drive more frequent and devastating storms.
Advocates say this creeping salinity is having a huge impact on the environment around Bagerhat, including a decline in crop yields like seasonal vegetables and stunting coconut and betel trees.
Pond bank in BagerhatCyArk
Impacting women
Women are showing a higher rate of pregnancy miscarriage possibly attributable to the saltiness of the water they drink. Changes in river salinity and the availability of freshwater will affect the productivity of fisheries and adversely affect the wild habitats of freshwater fish and giant prawns.
Bagerhat streetsCyArk
Losing livelihoods
Faced with more frequent floods and storms, and saltwater intrusion, people are increasingly leaving their homes to move to the cities, making migration another major Bangladesh climate change headline.
Saleemul Huq, Director of International Centre for Climate Change and Development, BangladeshCyArk
“On the coast, we can predict with great certainty that many people living there now will simply not be able to continue there, because their livelihoods will be lost” said Dr. Saleemul Huq, director of the Dhaka-based International Centre for Climate Change and Development and one of the country’s leading climate scientists.
“Dhaka is filled with people who fled their village because it was swallowed by the sea or the rivers,” Huq says. “The coming millions will be impossible to absorb.”
Discover more
Discover how CyArk uses 3D documentation to empower local experts.
Find out more about ICOMOS' efforts to increase engagement of cultural heritage in climate action here.
Andrew Potts, ICOMOS Working Group on Cultural Heritage and Climate Change.
This project was made possible through a collaboration between the Department of Archaeology, Ministry of Cultural Affairs, Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh
