The temperature is increasing during the monsoon season in Bangladesh
The Director of the Meteorological Department of Bangladesh, Azizur Rahman, stated that Bangladesh is facing different impacts of global climate change.
Explaining this, Azizur Rahman said, ‘The temperature is increasing in Bangladesh during the monsoon season. The monsoon arrives tardily and lingers for an extended period. The number of heat waves in the country is increasing day by day. Again, I am seeing a trend of increasing temperature even in winter.
Azizur Rahman said these things at an event organized by the Department of Meteorology in Dhaka on February 28, 2024.
A research report called ‘Changing Climate of Bangladesh’ was presented. It discussed trends and changes in weather observations from 1980 to 2023. Various changes in the climate of the last 43 years have been highlighted in this study. This indicates the change in climate conditions.
Meteorologist MD. Bazlur Rashid led the research. He was accompanied by five other meteorologists from Bangladesh and Norway. These data have been analyzed for four periods of the year.
They are – winter (December, January and February), pre-monsoon (March, April and May), monsoon (June to September) and post-monsoon (October and November).
Azizur Rahman, director of the Meteorological Department, Bangladesh, said, “After analyzing the data of the research, extreme weather is seen in the country. The monsoons have changed. It’s too late to leave. Not only in monsoon, but also in winter or summer heat is increasing. The number of cloudy days is increasing. Even if the heat rises in the winter days, the feeling of the intensity of the winter is greater. Air pollution is increasing with it.”
Azizur Rahman also said that the Norwegian government has been assisting Bangladesh Meteorological Department in meteorological research for 13 years. That aid has been very useful in understanding weather patterns and climate change trends.
Espen Richter Sevendson, Ambassador of Norway appointed to Bangladesh as the chief guest of the event, said, “We have only one world. None of us can be immune from the dire effects of climate change.”
“Bangladesh is one of the vulnerable countries affected by climate change in the world. Bangladesh can deal with climate change effects by conducting effective scientific research on meteorological conditions and using information and data,” he said.
The ambassador assured Bangladesh of cooperation in the future to deal with the risk of climate change.
Hans Olive Heijen, head of the Norwegian Meteorological Agency’s climate department, thinks we can’t wait for the future to prevent the serious consequences of climate change. He said that measures should be taken now.
Highlighting the data found in the research, Hans Olive Heijen said, “The heat wave is increasing alarmingly in various parts of Bangladesh, including Rajshahi. The rainy season may decrease in the future.”
“Unexpected abnormal rainfall could happen. Such a hostile situation is a matter of concern for agriculture-dependent Bangladesh,” he added.
Fatima Akhtar, Chairperson of the Department of Meteorology at Dhaka University, stated that the effects of extreme weather are constantly being felt, in addition to research statistics.
She said, “This is affecting our agriculture and biodiversity. Our food security, infrastructure may be at risk in the future.”
She thinks the Department of Meteorology’s study will be important in deciding what to do about these issues.
The study analyzed temperature data from 1980 to 2020 at 35 Meteorological Department stations to learn about temperature changes. There the direction of change of temperature in different seasons has come up. It appears that climate conditions are gradually warming. Temperatures are increasing in all seasons.
Temperature in Dhaka has increased over the past 40 years. The maximum temperature has risen by 0.9, 0.33, and 0.14 degrees Celsius during the pre-monsoon, monsoon, and post-monsoon periods, respectively. Only in winter, the maximum temperature has decreased to 0.12 degrees Celsius. However, the minimum temperature increased in all four seasons.
During the monsoon season, the maximum and minimum temperatures have increased in all eight divisions, including Dhaka. Among them, drought-prone Rajshahi recorded the highest temperature of zero.5 degrees Celsius.
The temperature in rainy Sylhet has also increased to a similar extent. The rate of significant increase in Dhaka, Rangpur and Chittagong was 0.3 degrees Celsius.
