More than 5 lakh People Died in 40 Years due to various Disasters; Disaster Increases urge to increase Food Stocks
By Zeba Tarannum
According to a United Nations report, more than 500,000 people have died in Bangladesh in the last 40 years due to various disasters, including floods and cyclones. There is positive news in the report among this huge loss information.
The average loss of resources due to floods in the country has now come down. However, the matter of fear is that the country has been hit by heavy rains, cyclones, and floods this year. Agricultural meteorologists fear that the country may have to go through natural disasters for the rest of the year.
Therefore, they say, the country’s agricultural sector must be prepared for frequent disasters. Public-private initiatives need to increase food stocks.
Agriculture Minister Abdur Razzak told a local paper, “We are already in danger due to disaster like floods and cyclones. These disasters have intensified for several years.
As a result, we need to do more for disaster preparedness and use technology to deal with disaster for our future agriculture and food security. We have already started working on that.”
Hamidul Islam, former Director-General of the Department of Agricultural Extension, “We are at great risk of climate change and disasters. That is much clearer this year. As a result, we must make agriculture suitable for dealing with these disasters.”
World Food Day has been observed in Bangladesh on October 16 in the context of the catastrophic disaster. The theme of the day is “Get together, take care of your body, stay healthy. Our work is our future. “.
La Nina’s effect
Researchers and organizations working on the nature and change of global climate say that the rest of the months will have to go through the disaster like the last months of this year. The cause of this disaster has traced beyond the Bay of Bengal to the Indian Ocean.
The Australian State Meteorological Agency said the vast area from the Pacific Ocean to the Bay of Bengal has become warmer. An unusual situation called ‘La Nina’ has arisen in the Pacific Ocean is the reason for this.
This matter was discussed with Dr. Rashed Chowdhury, the United States Oceanographic Association ENSO Prediction Center’s chief scientist, through mobile phone. He has been researching the effects of El Niño and La Nino around the world for over 30 years. According to him, the sea is heated over a wide area due to La Nina this year. It has affected Bangladesh and India. The Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal are warmer than usual, causing frequent depression and storms. As a result, there will be more rain in the next few months.
Scientists say when La Nina is formed, the temperature of the sea rises above normal.
As a result, there are more storms, water vapour and depression than usual. There are signs of the creation of La Nina’s situation since the beginning of the year. The United Nations Disaster Management Agency has blamed la Nina for five floods in Bangladesh from July to the second week of this month.
Last April, the Indian Meteorological Department Observations showed that the temperature in the Bay of Bengal was two to three degrees Celsius higher than usual.
According to a report released by the World Meteorological Organization, the average loss of resources due to floods in Bangladesh has decreased rapidly.
Observations by the Climate Division of the Bangladesh Meteorological Department also show that the Bay of Bengal is four degrees warmer than usual. Where it is supposed to be 26-27 degrees Celsius, there is a temperature of 31 degrees Celsius.
Meteorologists at the Bangladesh Meteorological Department say the rest of the year will be rainy due to the Bay of Bengal’s heat. Disasters will also be more.
When asked about this, Abdul Mannan, a meteorologist at the Bangladesh Meteorological Department told that the Bay of Bengal is heated due to the effect of La Nina.
As a result, it may take the whole month to get out of this monsoon. Winter may also be late. This could have an impact on the country’s agriculture. So we have to prepare accordingly.
Per capita flood damage has decreased.
In the last 40 years, 520,000 people have died in Bangladesh due to various disasters, including floods and cyclones. This information has come up in a global report titled ‘Climate Services Situation 2020’ published on October 13.
However, a report released by the United Nations World Meteorological Organization says the average loss of resources due to floods in Bangladesh has decreased rapidly.
According to the report, the previous floods in the targeted area caused a loss of Tk. 6,617 (78 dollars) per capita. Now the loss in the target area has been reduced to Tk. 4,835 (57 dollars) per capita. That is, the per capita loss in floods has decreased by 27 percent.
This report states that the information was obtained in a survey by the World Food Program (WFP), the United Nations’ food assistance branch, the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize this year.
According to the report, the loss of human resources has been reduced due to the flood forecasting system’s improvement.
Bangladesh Meteorological Department, UK Meteorological Office, WFP, Red Crescent etc. are working together to forecast.
The report cites Bangladesh’s example as a case study country for reducing property damage due to floods and cyclones.
The report focuses on how developing countries are moving forward in dealing with disasters and using technology to reduce resource losses.
