Natural hazards refer to some natural phenomenon that causes damage to man and property as well as has a negative impact on the environment. Natural hazards are extreme events and they occur naturally. Bangladesh, a country located in South Asia has a long history of natural disasters. Over the last three decades, Bangladesh has been affected by more than 200 natural disasters. Bangladesh’s geographical location is one of the main reasons why Bangladesh is vulnerable to serious natural hazards. Other reason includes low-lying terrain, monsoons, significant rivers render, etc.
From 1970-2020, Bangladesh is affected by various natural hazards. Among them, Cyclone has been the most frequent disaster to affect Bangladesh. In fact, it is in the 1st position with 52% and then followed by floods with 31%. Other common natural hazards are epidemics, earthquakes, droughts, and landslides. So according to the statistics, it is quite clear that storms are the most serious natural hazard in Bangladesh.
List Of Most Serious Natural Hazards In Bangladesh
1. Cyclone
2. Floods
3. Droughts
4. Tornado
5. Earthquakes
Cyclone In Bangladesh
6–9 December 1973: The coastal areas near the Sundarbans were hit by a cyclone, accompanied by storm surge
13–15 August 1974: A cyclonic storm hit Khulna. Maximum wind speed reached 80.5 km/h
24–28 November 1974: A cyclone struck the coastal areas near Cox’s Bazar and Chittagong, including the offshore islands
9–12 May 1975: A strong cyclone pummeled Bhola, Cox’s Bazar, and Khulna
9–12 May 1977: Khulna, Noakhali, Patuakhali, Barisal, Chittagong, and offshore islands were hit by a cyclone
14–15 October 1983: A strong cyclone hit the coastal islands and chars near Chittagong and Noakhali
5–9 November 1983: A cyclone hit Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar coast near Kutubdia, St Martin’s Island, Teknaf, Ukhia, Moipong, Sonadia, Barisal, Patuakhali and Noakhali
24–25 May 1985: A severe cyclone hit Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar, Noakhali, and coastal islands (Sandwip, Hatiya, and Urirchar)
8–9 November 1986: A severe cyclonic storm hit the coastal island and chars near Chittagong, Barisal, Patuakhali, and Noakhali
24–30 November 1988: A severe cyclonic storm Cyclone 04B struck Jessore, Kushtia, Faridpur, and coastal islands of Barisal and Khulna
31 May-2 June 1991: A cyclone hit the coastal islands and chars near Patuakhali, Barisal, Noakhali, and Chittagong. Maximum wind speed reached 110 km/h
29 April-3 May 1994: A severe cyclonic storm hit the coastal islands near Cox’s Bazar
21–25 November 1995: A severe cyclonic storm hit the coastal islands near Cox’s Bazar
16–19 May 1997: May 1997 Bangladesh cyclone hit the coastal islands and chars near Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar, Noakhali, and Bhola districts
25–27 September 1997: A severe cyclonic storm hit coastal islands near Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar, Noakhali, and Bhola
16–20 May 1998 A severe cyclonic storm with a wind speed of 150 km/hour struck coastal islands near Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar, and Noakhali
19–22 November 1998: A cyclonic storm, with the wind, speeds up to 90 km/hour, and a storm surge of 1.22 to 2.44 meters hit coastal islands and sand shoals near Khulna, Barisal, and Patuakhali
14–15 May 2007: Cyclone Akash struck about 115 km south of Chittagong with wind speeds up to 120 km/hour
15 November 2007: Cyclone Sidr with wind speeds up to 260 km/hour, made landfall in southern Bangladesh, causing over 3,500 deaths and severe damage
26–27 October 2008: Cyclone Rashmi made landfall on the Bangladesh coast late on 26 October with wind speeds up to 85 km/hour
19–21 April 2009: Cyclone Bijli attacked weakly in Bangladesh and not so severe damages were recorded
27–29 May 2009: A severe Cyclone Aila attacked offshore 15 districts of the south-western part of Bangladesh with wind speeds up to 120 km/hour
29 July 2015: Cyclone Komen with wind speeds up to 75 km/hour, Komen made landfall near Chittagong
21 May 2016: Cyclone Roanu made landfall near Chittagong killing 26 people in Bangladesh
29–31 May 2017: Cyclone Mora with wind speeds up to 110 km/hour, made landfall near Chittagong
4 May 2019: Cyclone Fani moved into Bangladesh after making landfall in Odisha
9 November 2019: Cyclone Bulbul made landfall near West Bengal, and crossed into Bangladesh
20 May 2020: Cyclone Amphan moved into Bangladesh after making landfall in nearby West Bengal
Floods In Bangladesh
1974: A total of 52720 km2 areas were flooded and 1987 people were killed
1984: A total of 28314 km2 areas were flooded and 513 people were killed
1987: A total of 57491 km2 areas were flooded and 1657 people were killed
1988: A total of 77700 km2 areas were flooded and 2379 people were killed
1998: A total of 100000 km2 areas were flooded and 1050 people were killed
Droughts In Bangladesh
In Bangladesh, droughts are also a common natural hazard and over the years droughts have damaged the livestock population and played an important effect on land degradation, health, and employment. Bangladesh is hit by droughts about 19 times and very strong droughts hit the country in 1975, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1989, 1994, and 2000.
Tornado in Bangladesh
14 April 1969: It is known as the derma tornado and 923 people were killed in this tornado
1 April 1972: This tornado hit the northern part of Bangladesh killing at least 200 people. Fulbaria, a town just southwest of Mymensingh was completely destroyed by this tornado
17 April 1973: 681 people were killed in this tornado. Manikganj, a subdivision of Dhaka was hit by this tornado.
1 April 1977: This tornado is known as Madaripur-Shibchar tornado and more than 500 people were killed
26 April 1989: It is considered as one of the deadliest tornadoes in the history of Mankind. This tornado moved east and eventually northeast from Daultapur to Saturia and killed 1,300 people.
13 May 1996: Over 700 people were killed by this tornado and it is known as the Jamalpur-Tangail tornado
Earthquakes In Bangladesh
| Date | Region | Tiefe | Magnitude | Deaths |
| 02/06/1988 | Sylhet | 45 km | 5.8 | 2 |
| 06/12/1989 | Banaripara | 9 km | 5.1 | 1 |
| 07/22/1999 | Maheshkhali Island, Cox’s Bazaar | 11 km | 4.2 | 6 |
| 12/19/2001 | Dhaka | 7 km | 4.5 | 0 |
| 06/20/2002 | Rangpur, Thakurgaon, Almanagar | 43 km | 4.5 | 0 |
| 07/26/2003 | Rangamati | 17 km | 5.7 | 2 |
| 11/07/2007 | Chittagong, Bandarban, Rangamati | 21 km | 5.1 | 0 |
| 01/12/2008 | Rangamati | 47 km | 5.0 | 0 |
| 09/10/2010 | Narayanganj | 16 km | 4.8 | 0 |
