posted May 28, 2018, 4:27 PM by Michael Steckler
[
updated May 28, 2018, 4:31 PM
]
For the Spring 2015
semester, M. Steckler again taught a course on hazards in Bangladesh in the
Columbia University undergraduate Sustainable Development program, SDEV 3550,
Bangladesh: Life on a Tectonically-Active Delta. The class included 10 undergraduate
students. The TA was a graduate student
in Southeast Asian Studies with previous experience in Bangladesh. The highlight of the course was an 11 day
trip to Bangladesh during Spring Break.
However, due to the ongoing political violence, it was not possible to
travel between cities safely at the time.
To cope with the situation, the entire trip, outside of Dhaka, was
conducted by boat. We leased the M/V
Kokilmoni, a boat we have previously used for our research. The boat met us at Dhaka and we traveled
through the river system to SW Bangladesh.
In the Southwest, we visited Bhanderkote and the compaction meter we
installed there; Polder 32 recovering from the devastation of being flooded for
3 years by Cyclone Aila; Hiron Point, Katka, Kachikhali, and Bird Island in the
Sundarbans Mangrove Forest; and Moddya Barisal. As before, we were accompanied
by 8 Dhaka University students and 2 professors for the entire trip. The inclusion of a similar size contingent of
Bangladeshi tremendously enhanced the experience. In the villages the students
either interviewed farmers for their land use change project or measured As
levels in drinking water wells, in addition to learning about the region and
contrasts between villages with and without access to fresh water. Having sufficient Bangla speakers to
translate was a key factor in these activities. While our time on the ground
was sometimes limited by the limited pace of boat travel and need to consider
the timing of the tides, it was offset by the greater opportunities for seeing
the country and conversation on the boat. |
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