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As an intergovernmental knowledge development and learning centre for the eight Regional Member Countries in the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region, ICIMOD is committed to building the capacity of relevant national agencies in the provisioning of flood risk information and early warning systems for building resilience and effective response.

When my supervisor asked me if I wanted to work on a project that would require me to travel frequently to Afghanistan, my answer was a reluctant “yes”. References to the war in Afghanistan – in the papers and on television – raced through my mind. This was four years ago.

Attending the American Geophysical Union (AGU) is a huge opportunity for a geospatial scientist. The annual AGU Fall Meeting is the largest international Earth and space science meeting where we can learn about new technology and build professional networks.

The Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region is no stranger to water- and weather-induced hazards. Every year, these disasters result in loss of lives, livelihoods, and damage to infrastructure throughout HKH countries. Climate change and other drivers of change have increased the frequency and magnitude at which disasters such as floods, droughts, landslides, and glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) take place in the region, further exacerbating vulnerabilities among mountain people and downstream environments and infrastructure. 

After Afghanistan, Nepal, and Pakistan, the Regional Drought Monitoring and Outlook System for South Asia extends its coverage to Bangladesh.

The floods in Bangladesh are possibly the worst in recent years. In Bangladesh, the Jamuna River broke through an embankment on the night of 17 July 2019, inundating at least 40 villages and displacing more than 200,000 peoples.

New paradigms in Earth observation (EO) science and advancements in geospatial information technology (GIT)–enhanced by the omnipresence of the internet–have allowed us to better understand our environment and quantify impacts caused by natural world phenomena.

The Bangladesh Forest Department (BFD) analyzes and uses land cover data for the national forest inventory, estimation of forest reference emission levels, and other forest management purposes.

Bangladesh’s vulnerability to floods persists even after the devastating 2017 floods, which took a heavy toll on the nation’s people and infrastructure. Climate change-driven calamities put the lives of millions in the country at risk, as pointed out in a 2019 United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) report.