Mitigating Disaster Risks from Flooding in Bangladesh

With the destructive floods that hit much of Bangladesh in late June, thousands of families saw their livelihoods go from bad to worse. In Terre des hommes Lausanne’s intervention areas, however, families were better prepared thanks to elevated gardens, wells and latrines.

In Bangladesh two out of every five children are stunted, due in large part to poor diet and waterborne disease. Their health is especially undermined in the Tdh’s intervention zone where Tdh, Kurigram and Barguna, frequently affected by heavy flooding. Most women don’t grow vegetables on their small homesteads during the monsoon season because they are afraid that heavy rains and flooding will destroy the gardens. Furthermore, the floodwater infiltrates traditional latrines, contaminating the groundwater and unprotected wells and leading to waterborne illnesses. In addition to maternal and child health care offered to the mothers and children, Tdh builds homestead gardens, wells and latrines that mitigate flood risk. The poorest families have easier access to nutritious vegetables, drinking water and latrines more suitable.

In 2011, working with women’s groups in flood prone areas, Tdh and his partner Greendots built meter-high clay platforms with central compost baskets. Planted on a two meter radius around the compost basket, the intercropped vegetables are protected from floodwaters.

“This is the first monsoon season that these women are able to cook and serve their children vegetables that come from their own gardens”, says Md. Shamimul Arefin, Tdh’s Garden Extension Officer in Kurigram. “They weren’t able to do this during the floods of 2007”. Arefin added that the women are encouraged by the success of their gardens yet wary of more extreme flooding. “They plan to build the Keyhole Gardens even higher next year”.