A. Bangladesh: Summary of Exposure and Vulnerability by Natural Hazard - Technical Note - Figure A.1 Impact Maps - River Flooding, Coastal Flooding, Heat Stress, Drought, Landslides, Tropical Cyclone, Air Pollution

Jul 19, 2026

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Technical Note focusing on Bangladesh’s exposure and vulnerability to multiple natural hazards, presented through Impact Maps (Figure A.1) with hazard-specific views on population and poverty. River flooding, coastal flooding, heat stress, drought, landslides, tropical cyclones, and air pollution are analyzed in terms of where impacts concentrate and how they intersect with poverty and population density. The note links flood risks to precipitation extremes, sea-level rise, storm surges, urbanization pressures, and inadequate wastewater and drainage conditions, while highlighting drought mechanisms tied to precipitation deficits and groundwater stress. It also outlines expected annual impacts and compounding effects of high poverty in flood-prone divisions, and identifies heatwave hotspots in major urban centers and densely populated upazilas.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages19

Reading Time48 min

Technical Note: A. Bangladesh: Summary of Exposure and Vulnerability by Natural Hazard

Figure A.1 Impact Maps

A.1.1 River flooding: Impact on population and poverty

A.1.2 Coastal Flooding: Impact on population and poverty

A.1.3 Heat Stress: Exposure of population and poverty

A.1.4 Drought: Frequency of agricultural land exposure and poverty

A.1.5 Landslides: Exposure of population and poverty

A.1.6 Tropical Cyclone: Exposure of built-up assets and poverty

A.1.7 Air Pollution: Exposure of population and poverty

Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Technical Note A. Bangladesh: Summary of Exposure and Vulnerability by Natural Hazard: Figure A.1 . Impact Maps A.1.1 . River flooding: Impact on population and poverty A.1.2 . Coastal Flooding: Impact on population and poverty A.1.3. Heat Stress: Exposure of population and poverty A.1.4 . Drought: Frequency of agricultural land exposure and poverty A.1.5. Landslides: Exposure of population and poverty A.1.6. Tropical Cyclone: Exposure of built-up assets and poverty A.1.7. Air Pollution: Exposure of population and poverty Source: Mapping by World Bank Poverty & Equity Portal, 2020. Aggregate precipitation and temperature projections are provided at agridded resolution of around 100 kilometers. Floods and storm surges: With an average elevation of 4‒5 meters above mean sea level, nearly a third of the country is susceptible to tidal inundation and is highly vulnerable to urban flooding due to rapid urbanization. Sea level rise and extreme rainfall events exacerbate the risk of urban flooding in cities where people, assets, and economic activities are concentrated. Average annual extreme weather event-related losses amounted to 1.8 percent of GDP over the 1990-2008 period, with up to 5 percent in the 1998 flooding.1 Monsoon rainfall could increase by 4 to 7 percent by 2050 in moderate and severe2 cases for Dhaka and Chattogram. Due to their high population density, these cities will be the most heavily affected by flooding, resulting in more than 1.2 million people foreseen to be affected in Dhaka in 2030 , with estimated damages at US$ 1.1 billion under moderate assumptions (Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) 4.5; Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSP2)) .3 By 2050, a minimum of 6 percent of the population could be affected by floods, with the maximum exposure estimated at 13 percent. In the worst-case scenario, 35 percent of the population will be exposed to floods by 2100. Poor wastewater management with less than 10 percent of the urban population connected to a piped sewerage system implies that during flooding, overflowing drains contaminated with untreated wastewater, septic tanks , and solid waste increase the transmission rates of waterborne illnesses.4 A combined analysis of 10- , 100- , and 1,000-year floods on population mortality further shows that population mortality risk from river flooding is largest in the southeastern upazilas of Rajshahi Division. The expected annual impact of river and coastal floods in terms of damage to built-up assets and exposure of agricultural land shows similar patterns. Combining socioeconomic vulnerability with the 2010 upazila-level per capita extreme poverty rates data completes the integrated risk picture, shown for the expected annual impact of river floods (Figure A.1.1) and coastal floods (Figure A.1.2) on population. Extreme poverty rates of flood-exposed populations in Rangpur and Mymensingh are considerably higher than in Rajshahi and might push citizens in these divisions to reside in hazard-prone areas, with lower mobility and poorer insurance and adaptative or preventative measures against high water. A similar compounding effect of a high expected annual river flooding impact and high rates of extreme poverty is seen in eastern Barisal, which also is severely affected by coastal flooding. Coastal flooding likewise impacts southern Khulna , with high levels of mortality and coastal communities in Khulna and Barisal facing an especially high risk from rising sea levels, combined with the impact of tropical cyclones. Heatwaves: The annual expected population exposure , combining heat stress episodes with return periods of 5, 20, and 100 years, shows that while the entire country is exposed, urban centers—in particular Dhaka and Sylhet—are hotspots. In the more densely populated upazilas of the northern Rangpur and Mymensingh Divisions, as well as in the western upazilas of Chattogra

FAQs

What natural hazards are covered in the Impact Maps for Bangladesh?

The Technical Note covers river flooding, coastal flooding, heat stress, drought, landslides, tropical cyclones, and air pollution, each mapped with emphasis on population and poverty exposure or impact.

How do floods increase risks for health and welfare in urban areas?

The note links urban flooding to rapid urbanization and extreme rainfall, and explains that poor wastewater management leads to contaminated overflowing drains, septic tank overflow, and increased transmission of waterborne illnesses during flooding.

Which areas are highlighted as major hotspots for heatwave exposure?

Heatwave exposure is described as nationwide, with urban hotspots in particular Dhaka and Sylhet, and high exposure combined with extreme poverty in densely populated upazilas of Rangpur, Mymensingh, and parts of Chattogram bordering other divisions.

Jul 19, 2026

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