Disaster Cyclon Aila

Bangladesh 2009

Group 6

November 28, 2024

01 / 05

With Bangladesh being a vulnerable country to climate change impacts due to its extreme heat, prolonged drought, changing rainfall patterns and rising sea levels, natural disasters are likely to occur frequently and at severe levels. With 19 out of 64 districts being located on the coast of the country, a vulnerable area prone to natural disasters is created. This puts Bangladesh as the number 5 out of 171 nations as most disaster risk-prone, with a risk value of 60.48%.

Cyclone Aila kills 168 in India and Bangladesh as heavy rain slows rescue efforts

Bangladesh soldiers deployed to take food and medicine to tens of thousands stranded in flooded villages

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This became prevalent in 2009, when cyclone Aila hit the country with devastating consequences as a result. Figure 1 illustrates which areas are the most prone to be affected by cyclones, in this case specifically by Aila. Disasters from Aila could vary from washed away houses to crop loss or physical and mental health injury, which created physical, socioeconomic and environmental vulnerabilities.

Bangladesh Tropical Cyclone Aila, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, 2009

After Cyclone Aila, the access to water in the affected areas was deeply compromised. Water security of any household depends largely on the security or sustainability of livelihoods. With a cyclone such as Aila disrupting water infrastructure, creating unhygienic access to sanitation, causing a breeding ground for waterborne diseases as well as damaging food production and supply, survivors of the cyclone face multiple challenges.

Why is water security important?

All of global human society is completely dependent on water. It affects our ecosystems, our economy, our health, our waste. Climate change often manifests through water, either too much or too little. Effectively managing and protecting water security is vital to ensuring a sustainable future for all.

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Another essential topic to take in consideration is access to emergency relief, which refers to the role of external support from NGOs, government, or local politicians in providing water security after the cyclone. This is measured by whether people did or did not have access to emergency relief.

Following is resource loss, which entails how changes in resources, asset loss (e.g. land, livestock) affected households’ ability to maintain food and water security.

Another key factor is the preparation, which indicates how people took action themselves to prepare for a cyclone, also specifically with regards to water.

Shelter during the cyclone could also be considered essential to ensure water security.