Geological Resources

In recent years, coastal area of Bangladesh has received international attention due to high potential for the exploration of in-shore and offshore natural gas. In the southeastern Sangu Valley, a large natural gas field has been discovered and subsequently put into commercial operation in 1998. Offshore drilling is also underway to explore untapped fossil fuel resources found in the coast. This has opened up new possibilities for installation of gas based power plants in the Bhola Island and in Begerhat, which would promote export promotion zones, and rapid industrialization. Natural gas is well recognized to be cleaner than other greenhouse gas emitting fossil fuels such as coal. Besides natural gas, commercially important minerals such as monazite, limonite, rutile, zircon and cesium have been found in the sandy beaches along Cox's Bazar. These resources are yet to be exploited for commercial use.

Land Resources

For the local inhabitants, the flat plains in the coastal area are the most important resource that supports crop production, livestock rearing, salt manufacturing from the sea water, shrimp culture activities, ship breaking harbor activities and different types chemical and other industries.

Coastal plains are mainly used for crop agriculture and for grazing of livestock. However salt tolerant crop varieties are almost absent and traditional agriculture with local varieties and specific management are being practiced. Effort needs to be undertaken to intensify coastal Agriculture and alleviate land productivity. Regular or periodic inundation and saline water intrusion has been a problem for agricultural activities in the coastal area. Since the seventeenth century, construction of small embankments or dykes has been a common practice in this country.

In the 1960s, the government undertook an organized program to build a series of dykes under the coastal embankment project. The main purpose of the project was to protect coastal agricultural land from flooding and intrusion of saline water during high tide, and thereby to increase cultivable areas in the coastal region as well as yields in the already cultivated areas (GOB, 1992). Sluices were provided to facilitate drainage from the empoldered land. Faulty management however, has reduced the performances of the sluice gates, thus causing water logging within the; polders.

Recent practice of shrimp culture inside the embankments, despite its adverse environmental and ecological effects and serious social problems, has been boosting the national economy. Major shrimp culture activities are centered at Satkhira, Khulna and Begerhat districts in the western zone and Chokoria, Cox's Bazar and Moheskhali Upazilas under the Cox's Bazar district. Salt producing pans and relevant industries are located primarily in the Cox's Bazar district.

Water Resources

Coastal areas are endowed with both fresh and brackish water resources. During monsoon, there is abundant fresh water, whereas during the winter, water becomes a scarce resource. Due to reduced flows in the rivers in winter, the surface water systems suffer from saline water intrusion, making the resource unsuitable for agricultural, domestic and industrial purposes. The groundwater aquifers in the coastal districts are under growing stress of salinization resulting from over-extraction. Sea level rise and low river flows would substantially contribute to that stress. Winter agriculture in the coastal areas is dependent on ground water. Rural water supply almost entirely depends on fresh water source.

Coastal water resources not only support agriculture and industrial activities but also provide extensively used navigational routes. There are two sea ports in Bangladesh: Chittagong and Mongla. They support most of the international trade of Bangladesh, and might provide a good headway for Nepal and Bhutan's international trade in the future (especially if Bangladesh is connected to the proposed Trans-Asian road network).

Beaches

The beach along the southeastern coastal areas is continuous and flat. Although it stretches along the shore, there are only a few patches of sandy beaches, the rest are muddy. There is another important sandy beach in Kuakata in the central coastal area. Production of salt and shutkee (dried fish) is done in the beach areas. A long sandy beach runs from Cox's Bazar to Badar Mokam. Most of these sandy beaches offer good tourism opportunities. However, at present the beaches have rudimentary facilities to attract foreign visitors.

Source: Initial National Communication in Response to the UN framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)