As one of the nations on the frontlines of climate change, Bangladesh is no stranger to natural disasters, and as a coastal country those natural disasters often include typhoons and cyclones.
This year we witnessed two major cyclones in the form of Cyclone Asani and, more recently, Cyclone Sitrang. According to a meteorological expert, cyclones are exceedingly becoming stronger while moving slower as well, which means that our current measures towards preparedness will no longer be enough going forward.
In a recent interview with Dhaka Tribune, meteorologist Mostofa Kamal Palash -- a PhD researcher on meteorology and climate at the University of Saskatchewan -- expressed that the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) was not up to the task in providing a forecast of Cyclone Sitrang with enough lead time.
Clearly there is a lot of work to be done.
As the effects of climate change mutate over time, Bangladesh will need to keep up and further bolster its attempts to mitigate any and all of its adverse effects. While the government has recently announced that it plans to build a thousand more cyclone shelters in the aftermath of Cyclone Sitrang, to truly avert such disasters what we need is to bolster the BMD with the infrastructure, equipment, and funding necessary.
An efficient and blanket relief network is absolutely necessary, but a meteorological body that cannot effectively predict weather patterns can lead to disaster. When it comes to addressing natural disasters, knowing is half the battle.
