196
Javan rhinoceros, Single horn rhinoceros, Water buffalo, Swamp deer, Mugger crocodile, Gaur and Hog deer are extinct animals (Table 6.1).
In the Ganges-Brahmaputra rivers deltaic floodplain alone approximately 2.1
million ha of wetlands have been lost due to flood control, drainage, and irrigation
development (Khan et al. 1994), therefore, coastal urban wetlands biodiversity is
facing serious challenges from salinity intrusion, environmental changes and
anthropogenic impacts (Sarkar 1993; Sarker et al. 2003; Nair 2004; Ahmed et al.
2008). The wetlands in the coastal region includes rivers, estuaries, mangrove
swamps, marsh (haor), oxbow lake (baor) and beels, water storage reservoirs, fish
ponds, and some other lands are also facing the similar environmental problems
(Milliman et al. 1989; Khan 1993; Hughes et al. 1994; Gopal and Wetzel 1995;
Islam and Gnauck 2008). In such problematic complicated situation the Smart-use
of natural resources and salinity desalination processes can solve the coastal floodplains biodiversity and ecosystem problems in the Ganges-Brahmaputra coastal surface areas in Bangladesh.
6.5.2 Threatened Coastal Deltaic Agricultural Crops
Production
The coastal region of Bangladesh is very important for the country because of natural resources, newly formed land area and agricultural and fisheries resources. Total
47,000 km
2
Land area is are declared as coastal region where agriculture and aquaculture are the most popular and potential agro crops and food production of the
country. It is covering 34% of the country’s food demand and a major portion of this
34% is covering from the coastal urban region. The major role of wetland are nutrient retention/removal, support for food chains, fisheries production, habitat for
wildlife, recreation, natural heritage values, biomass production, water transport,
biodiversity presentation and micro-climate stabilization. An in-depth analysis on
this particular issue leading to coastal urban natural resources and biodiversity degradation in the coastal urban regions of Bangladesh has been carried out.
The Figs. 6.5 and 6.6 shows the water and soil salinity intrusion pattern in the
south western Ganges deltaic region of the Bengal coast. There the salinity trend is
imposing in the upstream areas from south direction to north direction. In the north
Table 6.1 The coastal land
area affected by high salinity
intrusion (in 1973 and 2000)
Districts
1973 (ha) 2000 (ha)
Patuakhali 115,000
139,000
Barguna
103,000
104,000
Bhola
40,000
93,000
Pirozpur
20,000
28,000
Barisal
8,000
10,000
Jhalokhati 1,500
3,000
S.N. Islam et al.
Javan rhinoceros, Single horn rhinoceros, Water buffalo, Swamp deer, Mugger crocodile, Gaur and Hog deer are extinct animals (Table 6.1).
In the Ganges-Brahmaputra rivers deltaic floodplain alone approximately 2.1
million ha of wetlands have been lost due to flood control, drainage, and irrigation
development (Khan et al. 1994), therefore, coastal urban wetlands biodiversity is
facing serious challenges from salinity intrusion, environmental changes and
anthropogenic impacts (Sarkar 1993; Sarker et al. 2003; Nair 2004; Ahmed et al.
2008). The wetlands in the coastal region includes rivers, estuaries, mangrove
swamps, marsh (haor), oxbow lake (baor) and beels, water storage reservoirs, fish
ponds, and some other lands are also facing the similar environmental problems
(Milliman et al. 1989; Khan 1993; Hughes et al. 1994; Gopal and Wetzel 1995;
Islam and Gnauck 2008). In such problematic complicated situation the Smart-use
of natural resources and salinity desalination processes can solve the coastal floodplains biodiversity and ecosystem problems in the Ganges-Brahmaputra coastal surface areas in Bangladesh.
6.5.2 Threatened Coastal Deltaic Agricultural Crops
Production
The coastal region of Bangladesh is very important for the country because of natural resources, newly formed land area and agricultural and fisheries resources. Total
47,000 km
2
Land area is are declared as coastal region where agriculture and aquaculture are the most popular and potential agro crops and food production of the
country. It is covering 34% of the country’s food demand and a major portion of this
34% is covering from the coastal urban region. The major role of wetland are nutrient retention/removal, support for food chains, fisheries production, habitat for
wildlife, recreation, natural heritage values, biomass production, water transport,
biodiversity presentation and micro-climate stabilization. An in-depth analysis on
this particular issue leading to coastal urban natural resources and biodiversity degradation in the coastal urban regions of Bangladesh has been carried out.
The Figs. 6.5 and 6.6 shows the water and soil salinity intrusion pattern in the
south western Ganges deltaic region of the Bengal coast. There the salinity trend is
imposing in the upstream areas from south direction to north direction. In the north
Table 6.1 The coastal land
area affected by high salinity
intrusion (in 1973 and 2000)
Districts
1973 (ha) 2000 (ha)
Patuakhali 115,000
139,000
Barguna
103,000
104,000
Bhola
40,000
93,000
Pirozpur
20,000
28,000
Barisal
8,000
10,000
Jhalokhati 1,500
3,000
S.N. Islam et al.