In Silt, Bangladesh Sees Potential Shield Against Sea Level Rise

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/20/world/asia/20bangla.html?_r=2&ref=bangladesh

According to this article Bangladesh is one of the world's most vulnerable countries to climate change. It is very vulnerable because it has low lying coastal land and if the ocean rises just a little many towns and villages can be swallowed by the massive sea. To protect the low lying land people in Bangladesh are now using naturally found silt to slowly fill in dangerous living areas. Mr. Abdul Lateef and a few of his neighbors who live in Beel Bhaina discovered the silt potential when they punctured a hole in the mud embankment surrounding their village and watched as the water drained out and the silt got delivered by the high tide. In Beel Bhaina the silt has increased the land near the river bank about three feet and has made it suitable for the people of Beel Bhaina to grow things such as shrimp and fish, where as they couldn't cultivate before the silt increase.
The silt flows down from the Himalayan rivers and into the Bay of Bengal. Now with new technologies it is easier to harvest the silt and direct it to low lying areas. There are many skeptics who believe that the silt is not strong enough to withstand the strong current of the Himalayan river, and will get washed away creating a major loss in people, property and crops. Hopefully the silt will be able to withstand everything it faces and give people of Beel Bhaina a second chance at life because they are already trying to fix something that they may not be able to gain back again.