Composition on " Floods in Bangladesh " and " Harmful effects of Polybags "

            Floods in Bangladesh

The unusual swelling of water that overflows the banks of the rivers and submerging a vast area of land is called flood. It is a natural calamity. It is sometimes called deluge. It is devastating and horrible when causes a colossal loss to lives and properties. Bangladesh, being a land of rivers, often falls victims to floods almost every year.

Bangladesh is prone to flooding due to being situated on the Ganges Delta and the many distributaries flowing into the Bay of Bengal. Coastal flooding, combined with the bursting of river banks is common, and severely affects the landscape and society of Bangladesh. 80% of Bangladesh is floodplain, and it has an extensive sea coastline, rendering the nation very much at risk of periodic widespread damage. Whilst more permanent defenses, strengthened with reinforced concrete, are being built, many embankments are composed purely of soil and turf and made by local farmers. Flooding normally occurs during the monsoon season from June to September. The convectional rainfall of the monsoon is added to by relief rainfall caused by the Himalayas. Melt water from the Himalayas is also a significant input.

Each year in Bangladesh about 26,000 km2 (around 18% of the country) is flooded, killing over 5,000 people and destroying more than seven million homes. During severe floods the affected area may exceed 75% of the country, as was seen in 1998. This volume is 95% of the total annual inflow. By comparison, only about 187,000 million m3, of stream flow is generated by rainfall inside the country during the same period. The floods have caused devastation in Bangladesh throughout history, especially during the years 1966, 1987, 1988 and 1998. The 2007 South Asian floods also affected a large portion of Bangladesh.

Floods do immense good to us. They make our soil alluvial and fertile. As such our soil becomes suitable for growing more and better crops. They wash away all sorts of rubbishes and purify the surface of the earth.

In spite of doing good floods often bring untold miseries to our country by damaging our crops and properties. It also disrupts the communication network and causes untold miseries of our people. Thousands of people become homeless, helpless and suffer greatly for want of shelter, food and many other things.

Famine and pestilence break out in the wake of floods as there is acute scarcity of food and pure drinking water. People often drink dirty water as a result of which epidemics break out in the shape of cholera, diarrhea, dysentery etc. The price of all daily necessaries goes up.

The floods that took place in 1954, 1961, 1968, 1974, 1985, 1988, 1998, created much havoc. But havoc created by most devastating flood of 1988 beggars description. It surpassed all the previous records of losses and distresses. Moreover, in 1998, over 75% of the total area of the country was flooded, including half of the capital city Dhaka. It was similar to the catastrophic flood of 1988 in terms of the extent of the flooding.

Firstly, by building dams and embankments across the rivers floods may be brought under control. Secondly, by dredging the river beds from time to time and thereby depending the rivers occasional flood may be controlled to some extent. It is encouraging to note that the government of Bangladesh is fully aware of it and has already taken several measures to control floods in the country.

Ours is an agricultural country. Our national economy and the prosperity of our people largely depend on agriculture. So, the government of Bangladesh should take both short-term and long-term measures to control floods so that they may not cause the damage of our crops, cattle, houses and properties.

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                Harmful effects of Polybags

             Poly  bags have rapidly becoming popular among consumers and retailers due to its convenience and functionality and it comes at a relatively low cost. Wastage and hygiene issue arises as these non- biodegradable bags are usually littered and not recycled. Technological advances that led to even lighter bags have worsened this problem. These lighter bags are often not suitable for reuse and heavy items have to be double bag, increasing the use of  poly bags. As a result, more scare land has to be converted into landfills to provide long- term storage for this waste.

            Plastic bags are used by everybody. You get them, right from a vegetable vendor to a designer store. They are convenient and easy to use. But, most of us are blissfully off the repercussions that are occurring and will take place in the future. The following paragraphs discuss the impact of plastic pollution on the environment.
          Once they are used, most bags go into landfill, or rubbish tips. Each year, more and more bags are ending up littering the environment. Once they become litter, plastic bags find their way into our waterways, parks, beaches, and streets. And, if they are burned, they infuse the air with toxic fumes.
          About 100,000 animals, such as dolphins, turtles whales, penguins are killed every year due to these bags. Many animals ingest plastic bags, mistaking them for food and therefore, die. And worse, the ingested plastic bag remains intact even after the death and decomposition of the animal. Thus, it lies around in the landscape where another victim may ingest it.
          Single-use bags have become such a ubiquitous way of life that it seems as if we simply cannot do without them. However, if we have the will, we can start reducing their use in small ways.A tote bag can make a good substitute for holding the shopping.We will have to increase our awareness to reduce the use of ply bags .