Floating homes proposed for flood-prone Bangladesh

AFP, August, 2004

DHAKA (AFP) — The United Nations Development Programme is considering building floating homes in Bangladesh following the worst flooding in years to strike this low-lying south Asian country.

Inspired by the floating dwellings of Vietnam, the houses would float permanently on a foundation raft made of bamboo, reducing the impact of floods that regularly hit Bangladesh.

The proposal is one of eight by French architects Patrick Coulombel and Christian Coombes, commissioned by the UN body to come up with simple cost-effective solutions to flood-proof homes.

The country was devastated by flooding that last month also hit India and Nepal, washing away homes, destroying crops and livelihoods and killing more than 1,950 people across South Asia, including at least 726 in Bangladesh.

"The architects have come up with some interesting ideas and we are currently considering them," UNDP spokeswoman Lisa Hiller told AFP.

If adopted, the proposals would ...