Anisur Rahman Khan :
Bangladesh is facing the grim prospect of severe floods and cyclones this year, exacerbated by the impact of El Niño and La Niña effects, making it one of the hardest-hit countries in the region.
According to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD), Bangladesh is considered one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change, and the entire nation now grapples with the El Nino year of 2023-2024, a relentless heatwave that has tightened its grip on various regions of the country.
The BMD’s report highlights soaring temperatures, reaching between 40 and over 43 degrees Celsius, scorching 51 out of 64 districts.
The reliance on climatic conditions for agricultural production further exacerbates Bangladesh’s vulnerability to such extreme weather events, given its existing geophysical and socio-economic settings.
Experts underscore Bangladesh’s status as one of the most disaster-prone nations globally, with climate change exacerbating the severity and frequency of these events.
According to experts, it is deliberated to be the country most exaggerated by climate change, and the risk is swelling for the main hydro-meteorological disaster to happen.
The geographical location of Bangladesh exposes it to a range of frequent disasters, including floods, cyclones, and earthquakes. These recurring phenomena pose significant threats to lives, assets, and livelihoods.
“The geographical location of Bangladesh makes it more prone to various frequent disasters such as floods, cyclones, earthquakes, etc. Floods and cyclones are reoccurring phenomena and are likely to trigger massive losses of lives, damage to assets, and people’s livelihoods,” further added the experts.
Shahinul Islam, a meteorologist from the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD), shared concerning statistics with The New Nation, stating, “Bangladesh had experienced a total 23-day heatwave starting from the last 18 days of April to May 5 in 2023. This year, the extreme heatwave started from March 31 to May 5, totaling 36 days.”
In response to a query about upcoming weather patterns, Islam predicted, “There will be normal rain in May, and the country’s North and North-Eastern regions are likely to experience flooding subjected to heavy rain in the upstream.”
Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasts isolated heavy rainfall over various regions, with Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura expecting heavy rainfall from May 5 to May 7.
Additionally, very heavy rainfall is likely over Assam and Meghalaya on May 5 and 6.
Abdus Sobhan, president of Poribesh O Jalbaiu Paribartan Andolan (PORIJA), expressed concerns about Bangladesh’s susceptibility to natural disasters this year, noting, “Definitely Bangladesh is likely to experience various natural disasters like floods and cyclones this year. The entire nation experienced a long drought due to a lack of rain.”
Sobhan highlighted the global impact of powerful El Niño and La Niña events, stating, “The powerful El Niño and La Niña impacts are not only facing Bangladesh but across the world.”
He emphasised the connection between climate change and human activities, noting the resurgence of coal-based power plants due to energy shortages caused by conflicts.
“The coal-based power plants were shut down considering their negative impact on the environment. But the coal-based power plants again resumed their operation due to an energy shortage caused by the war.
So, the scientists must have to raise the issue of war across the world, as wars are also responsible for the negative impact of climate change,” Sobhan emphasised.
A section of rogue people have destroyed the forests and filled up the wetlands, he said, adding that sources of surface water are almost disappearing.
“Groundwater is extracted randomly by water pumps across the country for irrigation purposes. It is time to reserve surface water by digging water bodies for the sake of the environment. Rivers are drying due to the unilateral withdrawal of water upstream,” he said.
“Raising public awareness about climate change and other environmental issues in Bangladesh is critical to achieving behavioural change. The media remains the single most influential source of credible public information.
WPFD 2024 aims to build the capacity of Bangladesh’s media to ensure accurate and impactful coverage of the current environmental crises,” Susan Vize, Head of Office and UNESCO Representative to Bangladesh, said during a discussion on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day (WPFD) 2024 on May 2.
At the same function, Alexandra Berg von Linde, Ambassador to Bangladesh, Sweden Embassy, said, “Public interest is inextricably linked to climate change and environmental degradation.
The negative effects of climate change are becoming more visible, affecting people’s daily lives. People want to know about the results and effects of negative climate change.
Freedom of the media and the ability to report independently on all such matters of public interest are important elements of democracy.”
However, Bangladesh is perhaps the most unique country in the world where casualties resulting from a cyclone could rise into the hundreds of thousands; for example, the October 1970 cyclone killed an estimated 500,000 people and the April 1991 cyclone killed an estimated 140,000 people.
Floods can devastate more than half the country, causing damage in the billions of dollars. Nor’westers and tornadoes often demolish settlements and the economy in many parts of the country.
Droughts destroy the country’s food chain, food stock, and agro-based production systems. A large number of households become homeless because of riverbank erosion.
Scientists have found a correlation between El Niño and La Niña events and the variability of climatic phenomena in the country, which, as a result, causes those climate-related natural disasters.
Bangladesh is one of the largest deltas on earth. It is mostly known as a flood plain country with an area of 147,570 sq km, of which around 6.7% consists of river and island water bodies.
