BANGLADESH: Raging Storms kill dozens, damage crops
Pastor Dale Morgan
*BANGLADESH: Raging Storms kill dozens, damage crops*
07 May 2008 15:28:41 GMT
Source: IRIN
DHAKA, 7 May 2008 (IRIN) - Over 30 people have been killed this month
and hundreds more injured as raging storms, locally known as
'norwesters', wreaked havoc across Bangladesh.
On 6 May, eight people were killed in Siraganj, Rajbari and Lalmonirhat
districts, in the northwest, south-central regions and in the extreme north.
Two days earlier, two persons were killed and 10 others injured as
another localised tornado swept through southern Barisal and Magura
districts.
Much of the country's rural population lives in huts made of corrugated
iron or mud and straw which are ill-equipped to withstand winds powerful
enough to uproot trees and knock down electricity pylons.
Nihar Kumar Sarkar, a farmer in Barisal District, estimated that over
1,000 hectares of this year's of 'boro' crop - the country's main rice
harvest - had been severely damaged and over 500 homes destroyed in his
sub-district.
'Norwesters' strike Bangladesh two times a year - in April-May, and
later in November. Given their ferocity and destructive capacity
'norwesters' are also referred to as tornadoes.
"For nearly 60 days during the two storm seasons, locally generated
storms have hit various parts of the country almost on a daily basis,"
said Mahmudul Islam, a senior programme expert of the planning and
preparation section of the country's Comprehensive Disaster Management
Programme (CDMP).
"Modern science has yet to create an effective early warning system for
these storms. They are so local in nature and take shape so suddenly
that modern tracking devices can only locate them when they begin to
move, at times with a whirling speed of 200km," Islam said.
Added to this is a lack of comprehensive information on the storms.
The Bangladesh government does not maintain separate records of the
destruction of life, crops and property as a result of 'norwesters' and
tornadoes.
"It would be very helpful if we could keep records of the destruction
caused by local storms. These are so frequent in number and so
destructive in nature that the total damage done by them is perhaps only
second to the damage caused by the annual floods. In terms of damage to
life and property, they do more than the floods," Dr Islam said.
Losses could me minimised
'Norwesters' often strike when the country's 'boro' crop is ready for
harvest, and jute, a major cash crop for the impoverished nation, is at
a critical stage of growth.
According to the department of meteorology, 30-50 percent of standing
crops are damaged in areas where 'norwesters' hit.
"The crop loss could be minimised or even avoided if we could mobilise
our people to change the pattern of cultivation, either by planting the
crops two to three weeks earlier than what they do now, or by shortening
the harvesting season," said Islam.
Most of those who die, die indoors, crushed under mud walls or hit by
flying tin roofs, he added, noting that the construction of
disaster-resilient houses could save thousands of lives lost under
falling roofs and walls.
"The annual economic loss caused by 'norwesters', tornadoes and severe
thunder storms is enormous. They kill and maim people, destroy houses,
factories, schools, livestock and plantations. We must strive hard to
find a way to minimise these losses. Building better houses, using
permanent electric poles, adjusting plantation periods in a way that
they do not clash with nature, are what could act as our shields against
natural disasters," said Arjumand Habib, deputy director of the
country's Department of Meteorology.
According to the Bangladesh Space Research and Remote Sensing
Organisation (SPARRSO), Bangladesh, a low-lying delta nation of over 150
million inhabitants, is struck annually by natural disasters such as
tropical cyclones, storm surges, floods, droughts, tornadoes and
'norwesters'.
sa/ds/cb