Disparities in exposure to geomorphic hazards in Bangladesh

Natural hazards can impair socio-economic development and disproportionately affect the poorest and most vulnerable. While global and regional studies have quantified population exposure to various natural hazards, they have so far ignored exposure to geomorphic hazards, such as coastal and riverine erosion, land subsidence and siltation of waterbodies. Using high-resolution geomorphic hazard modelling, population and poverty data, this study provides the first-ever spatial assessment of exposure to geomorphic hazards across population and poverty groups, taking Bangladesh as a case study. Bangladesh is an exceptionally geo-dynamic country, where multiple geomorphic hazards coincide with a high population density and poverty rate. We calculate that over 22 million people live within geomorphically hazardous regions, a figure that has increased by 5 million in…