Adaptive Approach to River Erosion Risk Management: Knowledge Resource for Decision-Makers

This publication explores how an adaptive approach to riverbank erosion and instability, developed in Bangladesh and focused on morphological predictions and geotechnical design, could be replicated to improve flood risk management in other river systems.

Developed over 2 decades, the publication explains how this approach is used to manage unpredictable erosion and deep scour on the large, alluvial, and morphologically active Brahmaputra (Jamuna) and Padma rivers. Emphasizing the need for sustained funding and maintenance, it shows how systematic monitoring, combined with innovations such as low-cost geobags, can strengthen structures as well as enhance the livelihoods and resilience of communities in flood-prone areas.