Assessing flooding extent and potential exposure to river pollution from urbanizing peripheral rivers within Greater Dhaka watershed

Abstract

Greater Dhaka area is home to large industrial clusters that are driving economic growth and the poverty reduction efforts of Bangladesh. These clusters are located around peripheral rivers- Turag, Buriganga, Dhaleswari, Balu, Shitalakhya, Bangshi, and Tongi-Khal, which are important for water transport, environment, and eco-systems where flooding of floodplains in monsoon is an integral part. The urban and industrial growth stressing natural resources has led to severe degradation of the rivers and floodplains, affecting the livelihoods, health, and well-being of the people. Monsoon-time exposure to polluted water is yet to be studied and addressed scientifically. This study looked into the water quality and flooding situation of Greater Dhaka for two successive monsoons through extensive river sampling coupled with the estimation of flooded area and exposed population using remote sensing tools. Sentinel 1’s Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images are used for flood mapping considering cost-effectiveness and its advantages for data-scarce regions. The estimated population exposed to flooding was over 668,000 in 2019, and this number increased by 1.53 times in 2020, totaling over one million. During the monsoon and post-monsoon periods of 2019 and 2020, Buriganga, Tongi Khal, and Balu were consistently in poor condition. The lowest water quality index (WQI) was observed in Balu during the monsoon of 2019 (32.28), post-monsoon of 2019 (35.71), and post-monsoon of 2020 (29.58). The lowest WQI during the monsoon of 2020 was recorded in Tongi Khal (35.75). Among the four districts, Dhaka and Gazipur were the most affected by floods in terms of inundation area and exposed population. Our study indicates that most rivers remain in poor condition during the monsoon when exposure is also high. This highlights the need for policymakers to take monsoon exposure seriously and design appropriate interventions. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1038/s41598-024-80063-4.