Floating Hospitals Treat Those Impacted by Rising Seas
Thursday, March 9, 2017
It may sound like science fiction, but for many Bangladeshis, their only hope for treatment is on a floating hospital. And by day they may send their kids to floating schools. These are just a few of the ways they are adapting to the effects of climate change.
“Bangladesh is actually learning to adapt to climate change faster than any other country in the world because the impacts are happening here and we’re having to deal with them out of necessity,” says Saleemul Huq, director of the International Center for Climate Change and Developmentin Bangladesh.
Bangladesh is low lying and one of the most densely populated countries in the world—putting a strain on its limited resources. The Bay of Bengal that lies to the south of the country has long been a generator of cyclones. But as the temperature of the seas rises, these storms have gotten more frequent and more intense.
Three major rivers and a vast number of rivulets drain the plains of the country. All this water carries more silt and sediment than any other river system on Earth. Some of this sediment accumulated to form floating islands, particularly in the Brahmaputra River—which at certain points is over 18 miles wide.
Source: National Geographic News (link opens in a new window)
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