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In Pictures: Bangladesh on the frontline of climate crisis

Bangladesh’s coastal and riverine areas are prone to frequent storms and flooding, leaving millions vulnerable.

Aerial view of the flooded area of northern district Kurigram, Bangladesh, more than 7 million people affected by flood and estimated 119 people have lost their lives due to drowning as well as factor
An aerial view of a flooded area of the northern district of Kurigram in Bangladesh. More than 7 million people have been affected by the flooding and about 119 people have lost their lives this year. [Zakir Hossain Chowdhury/Al Jazeera]
By Zakir Hossain Chowdhury
Published On 5 Dec 2019

Bangladesh is one of the world’s most vulnerable nations to the impacts of climate change.

Millions of people in its southern coastal region face displacement due to rising sea levels and erratic weather conditions.

The South Asian nation of 160 million has endured 70 storms between 1990 and 2018, making it one of the regions worst affected by tropical storms.

Cyclone Fani and Bulbul hit Bangladesh earlier this year damaging crops worth millions of dollars.

According to an April UNICEF report, 19 million Bangladeshi children are at risk from climate change disasters such as floods and cyclones.

Rural households across Bangladesh are spending a staggering 158 billion taka ($2bn) a year on repairing the damage caused by climate change and on preventive measures, according to a new report.

People living on a boat as their houses submerged by water at Ulipur area of Kurigram district in Bangladesh. Around 6.77 lakh hectares of croplands have been damaged by the recent flood that affected
People sit in a boat after their houses are submerged by water in Ulipur in the Kurigram district in Bangladesh. Around 677,000 hectares of croplands were damaged by flooding last July, affecting about six million people in 28 districts, according to the government. [Zakir Hossain Chowdhury/Al Jazeera]
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The flood situation in the nine upazilas of the Kurigram district has worsened more due to heavy rainfall and upstream flow of floodwater. Over three lakh people of 72,480 families of nine upazilas ha
Over 72,480 families have been marooned by floodwaters in Kurigram district, relief and rehabilitation office sources said. [Zakir Hossain Chowdhury/Al Jazeera]
People who lost their belongings by river erosion and took shelter in shelter home now eroded again in Meghna river in Bangladesh. Sea level is projected to rise 0.4 to 1.5 meters on the Bangladesh co
The sea level is projected to rise from 0.4 to 1.5 metres on the Bangladesh coast by 2100. Episodes of extremely high water driven by storms and tides, which today occur once a decade, will probably happen three to 15 times every year at the end of the century, according to a 2015 study by the UK and Bangladeshi researchers. [Zakir Hossain Chowdhury/Al Jazeera]
A woman who lost her houses by the river, now living in a temporary house on the river near Sundarban area of Bangladesh.
A woman who lost her house now lives in a temporary shelter on a river bank in the Sundarbans area of Bangladesh. [Zakir Hossain Chowdhury/Al Jazeera]
A family going to cyclone shelter home before cyclone Fani attack in coastal area near Sundarban. Cyclone Fani hits in Bangladesh and India where Bangladesh damaged around USD $63 million.
A family heads towards shelter before cyclone Fani hit coastal areas near the Sundarbans. The cyclone struck Bangladesh in May, causing damage worth around $63m. [Zakir Hossain Chowdhury/Al Jazeera]
Coastal people trying to escape their boat during cyclone near Sundarban area in Bangladesh. These people''s only earning source is fishing in the river and near the sea.
People try to save their boat during a cyclone near the Sundarbans area. Fishing in the river is the main source of income for people in the area. [Zakir Hossain Chowdhury/Al Jazeera]
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Afia Begum, 46, in front of her temporary house near Shibsha river, she shift her house 5 times cause of storm and soil erosion in a coastal area. She said, "Last I have lost my house during Cyclone F
Afia Begum, 46, in front of her temporary house near the Shibsha River in Khulna district. She has shifted her house five times because of storms and soil erosion in the Dacope area. "I lost my house in Cyclone Fani. Now I am living in a bamboo house built on the river." [Zakir Hossain Chowdhury/Al Jazeera]
A women return home just after the storm in a coastal area of Bangladesh. 17 people were killed in ten districts of the country, as a number of houses collapsed and trees were felled by gusts in the l
A woman returns home after Cyclone Fani hit the coastal area of Bangladesh in May. At least 17 people were killed in 10 districts. [Zakir Hossain Chowdhury/Al Jazeera]
Women seen her destroyed crops effect of cyclone Bulbul in Dacope area of Khulna District. Cyclone Bulbul hits Bangladesh and India where Bangladesh damaged 494,200 acres of crops.
A woman in the Khulna district surveys crops destroyed by Cyclone Bulbul, which hit Bangladesh last month. [Zakir Hossain Chowdhury/Al Jazeera]
A mother and child living on a boat near their submerged house near Brahmaputra river on the northern side of Bangladesh
A mother and child sit on a boat near their submerged house on the banks of the Brahmaputra River in the Kurigram district. [Zakir Hossain Chowdhury/Al Jazeera]
Women seen cross the wiped tree on the way of her road just after cyclone near Sundarban, at least 4,589 trees were damaged under the influence of Cyclone Bulbul in Sundarbans, according to a report p
At least 4,589 trees were uprooted in the Sundarbans by Cyclone Bulbul, according to a report prepared by the Bangladesh Forest Department. [Zakir Hossain Chowdhury/Al Jazeera]
Mojid, 55, trying to repair the riverbank just cyclone Fani hits in the coastal area of Khulna District. He said that he has lost his house 4 times during he taking care of his family and he is witnes
Mojid, 55, tries to repair the river bank just after Cyclone Fani hit the Khulna district. He says the frequency of cyclones has increased. [Zakir Hossain Chowdhury/Al Jazeera]
Coastal people take shelter in a cyclone center before cyclone Bulbul hits in Dacope area of Khulna District. Many people didn''t take shelter because they are used to with storm and they depended on G
People take shelter in the Dacope area of Khulna district ahead of Cyclone Bulbul. [Zakir Hossain Chowdhury/Al Jazeera]
Riverbank scenery of Rupsha river just after cyclone Bulbul hits near Sundarban in Bangladesh and India. Twenty people have died and more than two million others have spent a night huddled in storm sh
The bank of the Rupsha River eroded after Cyclone Bulbul hit the Sundarbans. More than two million people moved to storm shelters ahead of the cyclone, officials said. [Zakir Hossain Chowdhury/Al Jazeera]
Coastal people who losses their house several times living on temporary houses near Shibsha river near Sundarban in Bangladesh. Bangladesh is projected to lose around 2,270 hectares of land this year
People frequently lose their houses in the Sundarbans. Bangladesh is projected to lose around 2,270 hectares of land this year to riverbank erosion, according to a study.  [Zakir Hossain Chowdhury/Al Jazeera]