UNB, Dhaka :
Stressing upgrading the traditional early warning and disaster mitigation system, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday said that international cooperation for exchange of weather data and information is very important for worldwide disaster management.
“Since meteorological phenomena do not obey political or geographical boundaries, international cooperation for exchange of weather data and information throughout the globe is essential for worldwide disaster management,” she said.
“We’ve to ensure proper application of latest technology with our conventional system for upgrading our existing early warning and mitigation activities,” Hasina said, inaugurating the 41st Session of WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones for the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea.
Defense Secretary Khondoker M Asaduzzaman delivered the address of welcome at the inaugural ceremony held at the International Conference Center of the Prime Minister’s Office in the morning. Director of Bangladesh Metrological Department Md Shah Alam gave the vote of thanks.
Chief of the tropical cyclone programme division of World Metrological Organisation (WMO) Dr Taoyong Peng; Secretary of Panel on Tropical Cyclones and also the Director General of Pakistan Metrological Department Arif Mahmud; and representative of UN ESCAP Keran Wang also spoke on the occasion.
The Prime Minister said the WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones is an inter-governmental organization for promotion and coordination of such activities in the panel area, and the people of this region
are getting benefits out of it.
“Bangladesh is already associated with international initiatives for the development of Tsunami Early Warning System. At the same time, the Government has undertaken a number of development projects, so as to upgrade the capacity of the Meteorological Department for its better performance, through sharing of data, information, forecasts and early warning of disasters.”
