Erratic weather conditions, especially heat waves and drought, are taking a heavy toll on crops farming, economic activities and the ecosystem in Bangladesh amid the global climate change.
In the wake of the adverse climate, the country’s food security is now at a risk, and the economic activities are also facing disruption.
The world has entered an El Niño phase and the impact is sweeping across Bangladesh and other South Asian countries with heat waves and scarcity of rainfall.
“El Niño (warm) and La Niña (cool) episodes typically occur every two to seven years and usually last nine to 12 months. El Niño and La Niña are climate patterns in the Pacific Ocean that can affect weather worldwide,” said Prof AKM Saiful Islam of BUET’s Institute of Water and Flood Management.
“This year El Niño phase is prevailing. La Niña has prevailed in the last two years. July is witnessing the higher temperature in the world record,” he said.
The manmade anthropogenic activities, including mining, release of industrial waste, incineration of fossil fuel, deforestation and excessive emission of Carbon dioxide (CO2) to the atmosphere, are responsible for the rise in the temperature, he said.
El Niño phase brings hotter weather and less rainfall while La Niña brings excessive rainfall, flood, and storm, he said, adding that El Niño and La Niña can both have global impacts on weather, ecosystems and economic activities.
A very strong El Niño phase prevailed in 2015-16, 1997-98, 1982-83, and strong El Niño in 1991-92, 1987-88, 1972-73, 1965-66 and 1957-58, says a report by the Global Gate Weather Services.
In recent times, weak El Niño occurred in 2018-19, 2014-15 and moderate El Niño took place in 2009-10 and 2002-03.
In recent times weak La Niña happened in 2022-23, 2017-18 and 2016-17, moderate La Niña occurred in 2021-22 and 2020-21 and strong La Niña took place in 2010-11 and 2007-08, the report added.
Extreme weather conditions ranging from droughts to large-scale floods and other effects of climate change are on the rise in Asia and bound to affect food security and the continent’s ecosystems, the World Meteorological Organisation said.
Md Omar Faruq, a meteorologist of the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD), told the Daily Sun that the country witnessed severely less rainfall in May, June and July.
The country witnessed 44 percent lower rainfall in May, 16 percent in June and nearly 60 percent in July till 26 at the peak time of the season, according to Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD).
In May, the country’s highest temperature was 1.7 degrees Celsius more than the normal temperature and the average temperature was 0.7 degrees Celsius more than the normal temperature.
In June, the country’s highest temperature country was 1.7 degrees Celsius more than the normal temperature and the average temperature was 1.1 degrees Celsius more than the normal temperature, the BMD also said.
Drought affects Aus-Aman farming:
Less rainfall in Bangladesh during this monsoon is severely affecting farming, especially the Aus and Aman cultivation, when the world is concerned about food security.
The Aus rice is direct or broadcast seeded during March – April after the pre-monsoon shower and harvested between June-August. It contributes 7.0-8.0 per cent to the total annual rice output.
The Aman is a rain feed rice variety planted in July to mid-September and harvested in November to mid-January contributing 38 per cent to the country’s total rice production.
Farmers in Kushtia, Sathkhira, Jenaidah, Jessore, Khulna, Barishal, Dinajpur, Rangpur, Rajshahi and other parts of the country are concerned about the cultivation of Aman paddy due to the drought.
The farmers failing to irrigate their land are heavily affected by the less rainfall.
Shamsuddin, a farmer from Kushtia, said he is waiting to cultivate Aman paddy on his 3 bighas of land, but no significant rainfall forces him to stop Aman cultivation on two Bighas of land as they don’t have irrigation facilities.
Department of Agricultural Extension Director General Badal Chandra Biswas told the Daily Sun that the drought tendency has been affecting farming in the country. “We’re taking different initiatives to prompt irrigation as the planting season of Aman is going on.”
“Sown Aman fields of 11 lakh hectares, out of total 53 lakh hectares, don’t have irrigation facilities,” he said.
There are 16,89,862 irrigation pumps in the country. Last year around 7 lakhs of the pumps were run for irrigation, he said, adding that this year its number will be increased.
The DG also said Aman paddy cultivation cost will increase by Tk 2,500-3,000 per bigha due to the irrigation cost.
Dr Mohan Kumar Das, a hydro-meteorologist and ocean scientist at National Oceanographic and Maritime Institute (NOAMI), told the Daily Sun that the erratic weather conditions in Bangladesh during June and July can be primarily attributed to the delayed or weakened monsoon, climate change-induced heat waves, deforestation and urbanisation, El Niño effects, air pollution, ocean temperature anomalies, and natural climate variability.
The severe weather events in Bangladesh, cause impacts, including damage to agriculture, infrastructure, and industries, disruption of trade and transportation, loss of livelihoods, the increases in the insurance and healthcare costs, and challenges to sustainable development efforts, he said.
“The burning of fossil fuels and deforestation releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, leading to the warming of the planet. As a result, Bangladesh, like many other regions, experiences rising temperatures and altered weather patterns, including more frequent and severe heat waves,” he said.
The scientist has described some possible causes of climate change including the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation, El Niño and La Niña, monsoon variability, deforestation and land use changes, urban heat island effect, air pollution and ocean currents.
Economic Impacts of extreme weather:
Extreme weather events and the effects of climate change can have significant impacts on a country’s economic activity, including Bangladesh.
As mentioned in a report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Asia experienced a rise in weather-related disasters, with Bangladesh being one of the countries affected by floods and storms.
Extreme weather events can disrupt transportation and logistics, making it difficult to move goods and services within the country and internationally. This can lead to a delay in trade and an increase in costs for businesses.
Bangladesh heavily relies on agriculture, and erratic weather patterns can disrupt crop yields and harvests. Floods can destroy crops, while droughts can lead to water shortages for irrigation. These events can result in food shortages, price fluctuations, and economic losses for farmers and the agriculture sector.
When disasters directly affect people’s homes and livelihoods, it can lead to loss of income and reduced economic activity at the local level.
Extreme weather events can lead to health issues, such as waterborne diseases and heat-related illnesses, increasing the burden on the healthcare system and resulting in higher healthcare costs.
Overall, the cumulative effects of extreme weather events and climate change can hinder economic growth, exacerbate poverty, and challenge sustainable development efforts in Bangladesh and other vulnerable regions.
