PEOPLE in the capital experienced the hottest day in the last 54 years as the mercury shot up to 40.7 degrees Celsius on Thursday, reported a local daily. In Dhaka, the highest 42.3 degrees Celsius temperature was recorded on April 30, 1960. Unlike an average month of April, when people get a respite from the sweltering heat due to short-lived nor’westers, the country has hardly seen any such storms this month as per the report. For the last few days, the city dwellers have been feeling the pinch of sultry weather, with the mercury creeping up mercilessly to over 37 degrees without any break. The Met Office said temperatures might go down in a couple of days as the country could experience rain from Sunday. Meanwhile, speculations running high at some level whether or not Bangladesh will become a sideline victim of El-Nino hot air which essentially affect the countries in the Pacific Ocean rim. The ugly nature of this year’s weather is adding new elements to weather forecast.
A forum of global weather experts on Wednesday said India and its South Asian neighbours are expected to see below average to average rains this year if the El-Nino weather pattern gains strength during monsoon season. There is a strong consensus about the possibility of evolution of an El-Nino event during the monsoon season, a news report said quoting a senior Indian Met Office. His findings showed Sri Lanka, Bhutan and some parts of Pakistan will have less than average rain this year while an average monsoon is expected in Bangladesh, Nepal and Afghanistan.
El-Niño is a band of anomalously warm ocean water temperatures that periodically develops off the Pacific coast of South America. Extreme climate change pattern oscillates weather temperature across the Pacific Ocean resulting in fluctuating droughts, floods and crop yields in varying regions of the world. Over the last three decades of the 20th Century, greenhouse gas emissions increased significantly based on higher human consumption which in turn shot up based on higher use of fossil energy causing more emission of carbon- dioxide in the air. Emissions can be attributed to different regions with first world countries contributing more than the third world countries-but the after effects are seen in all regions, especially more in the developing world. Bangladesh stands as a coast line state is exposed to suffer more from sea water rise and rising temperature in the sea.
We believe that the country should have its own policy response while working with the global community for a shared response. To combat the ugly weather from the sea and land we should have therefore more tree plantations in the coastal region and inside the country to protect the people. We also suggest public awareness programme how common people expose to open air heat should protect them from sun burn and heat stroke. The northwestern part of Bangladesh is directly exposed to heat wave that sweeps across Bihar to cover part of Bangladesh. With growing desertification of the western part of Bangladesh from unilateral withdrawal of Teesta and Ganges water, we are increasingly becoming exposed to heat waves and we believe that the country must have long term action plant to face it.
