MATHEMATICAL MODELLING IN INTEGRATED COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT

Coastal zone management is widely recognised as a necessary tool for dealing with the complex demands and physical interactions in the coastal zone. The implementation of the coastal zone management should always be targeted towards sustainable long term solution. This paper provides a list of activities of coastal zone management in Bangladesh and the experience and involvement of Surface Water Modelling Centre (SWMC) with respect to the past, ongoing and planned activities under the Integrated Coastal Zone Management. The entire coastal area is subject to cyclone danger and in particular the population in the newly accreted and settled areas usually outside the main coastal embankments has suffered from devastating cyclones in the past (1970, 1991) and some cyclones on an annual basis. In the long term, the entire area will be influenced by possible sea-level rise and climatic change in general, possibly including increased cyclone risks plus a range of trends such as erosion, salinisation, drainage congestion, habitat and biodiversity loss, that mean a series of extreme environmental risk. A number of development activities have been undertaken or are being implemented/planned by Government institutions and development partners in Bangladesh. These include: Coastal Embankment Rehabilitation Project (CERP), Second Coastal Embankment Project (2nd CERP), Land Reclamation Project (LRP, 1978-91), South Western Regional Study (FAP4), South Eastern Regional Study (FAP5), Char Development and Settlement Project (CDSP), Meghna Estuary Study (MES), Cyclone Shelter Preparatory Study (CSPS), Green Belt Project (GBP), Forest Resources Management Project (FRMP), Fourth Fisheries Project (FFP), Securing Livelihoods in Coastal Communities Project, Coastal Fisheries Community Empowerment Project, Climate Change and Sea Level Rise Study, National Water Management Plan (NWMP), Coastal Wetlands and Biodiversity Project and Khulna-Jessore Drainage Rehabilitation Project (KJDRP). In the above list of 17 projects, Surface Water Modelling Centre (SWMC) has been or being involved in 10 projects.