A workshop of the 11th National Monsoon Forum was held at the Headquarter of Bangladesh Meteorological Department in the city’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar on Monday with the participation of national and international experts from different organizations.
The Monsoon Forum is an established institutional mechanism between the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) and other mandated warning institutions in the country like the Flood Forecasting and Warning Center (FFWC), and their stakeholder sectoral institutions, for regular dialogue vis-à-vis generation and applications of user-driven multi-timescales, multihazard risk information. Through an iterative process that is built on the monsoon for ensuring sustainability, the Monsoon Forum provides opportunities for sectoral stakeholders to seasonally review their forecast-based, anticipatory preparedness plans and implementation thereof, and how these could be improved in subsequent season(s); and for BMD and FFWC to constantly evolve/tailor forecasts/warnings to suit user requirements. Experiences and learnings, from informed seasonal and sub-seasonal preparedness planning and decision-making, are expected to build capacities, in due course, for effective long-term adaptation and resilience. While built on hydro-meteorological information, the Monsoon Forum integrates relevant discussions on geophysical hazards and risks, for holistic capacity building.
The forecast for 2019 monsoon (June – September) indicates normal rainfall over most of areas in the country. However, the south-eastern part of the country especially Chattogram and surrounding areas may receive slightly above normal rainfall during the monsoon. Again, the experts are not expecting severe flooding during this period.
Among others, Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System (RIMES), Dr Anshul Agarwal, team leader-hydrology, Raihanul Haque Khan, country program lead-Bangladesh were present in the forum. UK Met office was represented by Dr. Francis Colledge.
Notably, with support from RIMES, the monsoon forum had been organized since 2010.
