Conclusion

We explored the potential of re-opening of polders to re-establish sediment deposition and land raise in the SW Ganges-Brahmaputra-Megna (GBM) delta. For this purpose we carried out scenario analyses representing the seasonal variability river discharge, suspended sediment concentration (SSC) and tidal range in river branches across the delta, and applying different flow regulation operations for the polder. Our scenario analyses demonstrate that:
The effect of projected SLR and subsidence can thus be countered with the application of indigenous practice like TRM to re-open the dike to allow sediments inside polders through controlled flooding, even for the low elevation coastal zone of Bangladesh. This study illustrates that with enough sediment availability, sinking deltas around the world can combat the projected RSLR by applying controlled flooding with re-opening the dike like TRM.