President M Abdul Hamid on Thursday urged people from all strata will continue their endeavor to understand weather and climate phenomena to save lives, protect properties and assist the communities towards a more resilient Bangladesh.
In a message on the occasion of the ‘World Meteorological Day, he said latest meteorology and ICT technologies will surely enhance effective warning system and reduce the losses of lives and properties from natural disasters.
Weather and climate play an important role not only in human lives but also in environment, he said, adding the need for international co-operation in meteorology and related areas has been long recognized by scientists, because the atmosphere has neither political nor geographical boundaries.
The President said the prediction of weather and climate for any part of the globe depends intrinsically on access to information from other parts. The current worldwide concern over global weather and climate issues has increased public awareness of the need for international cooperation, he added.
“Bangladesh continues to participate actively in international bodies and formal frameworks, in particular the WMO. I am happy to note that Bangladesh Meteorological Department has been playing pivotal role in this regard,” Abdul Hamid said.
He said, “I believe that the theme of the World Meteorological Day 2018, ‘Weather-ready, climate-smart’ highlights the enormous importance of early warning systems and climate services.”
The ever-growing global population faces a wide range of hazards such as tropical cyclones, storm surges, heavy rains, heat waves, droughts and many more, the President said adding long-term climate change is increasing the intensity and frequency of extreme weather and climate events and causing sea level rise and ocean acidification.
He said urbanization and the spread of megacities mean that more of us are exposed and vulnerable. Now we need to be weather-ready, climate-smart and water-wise.
