World Environment Day (WED) is celebrated on 5 June every year. The theme for World Environment Day 2020 is “Time for Nature”, and it will be hosted in Colombia in partnership with Germany. It is the United Nations‘ prime vehicle for inspiring awareness and action for the protection of our environment. World Environment Day was held in 1974 for the first time. Later, it has been a flagship campaign for raising environment awareness on emerging from environmental issues. World Environment Day campaign includes with marine pollution, human overpopulation, and global warming, to sustainable consumption and wildlife crime.
World Environment Day has grown to become a universal platform for public outreach, with participation from over 143 countries yearly. Every year, World Environment Day has provided a new theme that major corporations, NGOs, communities, governments and all celebrities worldwide. Main agenda of World Environment Day is to adopt and advocate environmental causes. For almost five decades, World Environment Day has been raising consciousness, supportive action, and dynamic changes for the environment.
World Environment Day was established in 1972 by the United Nations on the first day of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. I was resulting from discussions on the integration of human interactions and the environment. After two, first World Environment Day was held with the theme “Only One Earth” in the year 1974. Even though the World Environment Day celebration has been held annually since 1974, in 1987 the idea for rotating the center of these activities through selecting different host countries began.
Incidentally, Colombia is one of the largest “Megadiverse” nations in the world to hold 10% of the planet’s biodiversity. Meanwhile, it is part of the Amazon rain forest, Colombia ranks first in bird and orchid species diversity and second in plants, butterflies, freshwater fish, and amphibians.
Tahjeeb Hossain Chowdhury:After the Devastation of the Cyclone Amphan, it seems there is no breathing room from calamities. On the horizon, a new cyclone lurks in the distance, this time by the name given by Bangladesh as Nishorgo.
Amphan rampaged across Bangladeshi Coastal shores and West Bengal emanating from the Bay of Bengal. Although not as devastating as cyclones before, it still dealt with heavy casualties along with monetary damages. This time Nishorgo seems to be in a similar destructive manner from the Arab Sea. The regions in the crosshairs this time are the Indian Regions of Gujarat and Maharashtra which includes the Mumbai Metro Area as well.
The coastal regions of Mumbai, Goa, Lakkha Islands, and also Gujarat area are predicted to be in the crash zone. Wind Speeds of Nishorgo is predicted to be around 110 kilometres per hour. Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi observed the situation last Monday. Minister of Home Affairs Amit Shah sat with Uddhav Thackeray, the Maharashtra Chief Minister to plan evasive actions. Prime Minister Modi has advised general people to move and act with utmost caution. 31 teams consisting of 45 members each are stationed in two portions of Maharashtra to handle disaster time responses. Mumbai area famous for its fisheries has a large number of citizens who rely on the sea to make up for their livelihoods. Ensuring their safety is also within the primary goals of safety measures.
With the Covid-19 situation at an escalating level, Nishorgo poses a lot of disturbances in the Pandemic time efforts. Gujarat and Maharashtra both have had very fragile states due to Coronavirus with 70,000 infected in Mumbai alone.
Bangladesh, as it stands, does not have much to worry about Nishorgo as it is unlikely that the cyclone will reach Bangladesh shores with full force. But, side effects of a strong storm has been seen with heavy showers and thunderstorms happening in many regions of Bangladesh, Although the storm will not damage Bangladesh, still we have to show solidarity with our neighboring nations in this trying time. Nishorgo is making its way to the shores and might be in sight of a collision course and in this time thoughts and prayers go to the citizens and first responders of this natural calamity.
(The writer is a marketing graduate, content writer, and data science enthusiast from Dhaka, reach him at [email protected])
Fayaz Yousuf: Water is a transparent liquidthat forms the world’s streams, lakes, oceans and rain. It is vital for all known forms of life. On Earth, 96.5% of the planet’s water is found in seas and oceans, 1.7% in groundwater, 1.7% in glaciers and the ice caps of Antarctica and Greenland, a small fraction in other large water bodies, and 0.001% in the air as vapor, clouds and precipitation.
Water constitutes two-thirds of the surface of the earth covering around 71 percent of the earth’s surface but only three percent is freshwater out of which 69 percent is “trapped” as ice, mainly in the two Polar Regions. The remaining freshwater occurs in rivers, lakes and aquifers which human being, plants and other animal species can use (WHO/UNICEF JMP, 2010).
Water scarcity has been causing conflict since the beginning of civilizations. Kjellén and McGranahan (1997) predicted that two-thirds of the world’s population will experience water stress conditions by 2025 and some countries would experience high water stress conditions where water withdrawal against available resources exceeds 40 percent. According to Ariyabandu, the withdrawal rate against available resources is 48 percent in South Asia. Bangladesh, as being a riverine country, has been facing dual challenges from water: firstly, unlimited floodwater during the wet season and secondly, increasing scarcity during dry season.
Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. More than 130 million people live in an area of 147 570 km2 and the population is increasing at a rate of around 1.6% annually. Dhaka is a megacity with a population of about 16 million and is growing at an annual rate of around 5%, one of the highest amongst Asian cities. According to a report, Dhaka will be the second-largest city in the world by the year 2015. The huge population puts forth massive pressure on the water supply system and causes a huge amount of deficit every year.
Water Issues of Dhaka City
In Bangladesh, the water supply coverage has been increasing both in the urban and rural areas since the 80’s. Almost 88 percent of water is withdrawn for irrigation, livestock while only 10 percent, and two percent use it for household and industry respectively (FAO, 2010). Nearly 97 percent of the rural population is using over 10 million hand tube wells to fulfill their drinking water demands.
In Bangladesh, there are two sources of water
Surface Water Resources
Ground Water Resources
2000mm of rainfall is received by Dhaka annually. Beside this, Dhaka is located close to the convolution of the mighty Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers and it is frequently flooded, often devastatingly. These three rivers constitute the world’s second biggest river system with an annual discharge 25 times that of the Nile. However, Dhaka is one of the most challenging megacities in its water management.
The water supply and sewerage services have been allocated to one single public authority. Under the WASA Act (1996), Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (DWASA) has the sole responsibility of providing water, sewerage and storm water drainage services in Dhaka. The Act provides for DWASA to manage its facilities and operate with a high degree of autonomy. It now supplies 0.51 km3 of water per year against the demand of 0.73 km3, serving around 72% of the city dwellers. The quality of the supplied water is very much in question. Almost 1000 private wells abstract another 0.35 km3 of groundwater per year, mainly for industrial purposes. Groundwater is used far beyond the sustainable rate and this groundwater mining puts a serious strain on the environment. The groundwater table has gone down 20 to 30 m in the past three decades and continues to sink 1 to 2 m per year.
Dhaka city faces two major problems in supplying water:
Gradual decrease of raw water sources and
Discharge of large quantities of polluted water (Serajuddin, 1993).
DWASA projects total water demand considering per person per day water demand as 150 liter and accordingly supplies water to the city dwellers. Total water demand in Dhaka city varies from 2100 to 2300 MLD with seasonal variation. However, total production capacity of DWASA is 2247.47 Million Liter per Day (MLD) (both groundwater and surface water).
Apparently, DWASA is able to fulfill current water demand through their capacity. However, DWASA has never reached its production target and actual production for groundwater and surface water is 1831.20 MLD and 256.30 MLD respectively with a demand-supply gap of 160 MLD.
There is variation of water consumption rate in different regions.To maintain daily life, a substantial amount of water is required. At least 50 l/p/d of water is considered as basic water requirement as suggested by Gleick and IWRA (1996).
To fulfill the daily water requirement from reliable source, dependency on private sector is increasing day by day. Most of the people in Dhaka city buy filtered or bottled water though they are not well aware of the quality of this water. There is a common perception of city dweller regarding DWASA supplied water that it is full of micro-bacterial organisms and contaminated with different chemical and biological contaminant. Even though almost 87 percent of the supplied water of DWASA is retrieved from groundwater that is safe from microorganisms and heavy metal contamination, it is likely that the supplied water might be contaminated due to the leakage in pipelines and reservoirs. In reality, poor management, irregular monitoring, and inadequate supply make people rely on privately owned water supply. In addition to bottled and filtered water business, there is another business of water filtering.
Reasons behind Insufficient Water Supply
There are several reasons behind the insufficient supply of water in Dhaka city like
Scarcity of water resources,
Pollution of water resources,
Huge amount of water has been collected from ground,
Illegal connection of water,
Lack of awareness on proper usage of water
Possible Solutions
In this issue, many scholars have agreed that only awareness alone can do enough to change today’s devastating water crisis situation. Along with this they also have suggested the immediate implementation of
Starting the reuse of Grey Water (a major fraction of domestic wastewater which is about 75% (vol.) of the combined residential sewage [Eriksson, et. al., 2002])
And
Staring the implementation and usage of Rainwater Harvestingin every household of Dhaka city.
Conclusion
At present, access to safe water is a burning question and scarcity of safe water can directly affect the long-term prospects for sustainable development. Many cataclysms can take place in near future due to the lack of safe water.
Present water supply system in Dhaka city is heavily dependent on groundwater that signals a cloudy future with severe water crisis. Though the WASA has already started to shift its present groundwater based production system to surface water production, this require huge investment and time.
Moreover, the status of peripheral rivers of Dhaka city is highly degraded with a major portion of it is under illegal encroachment. That is why it is highly doubtful to fulfill future demand just by relying on these sources. Considering the present crisis and future demand, it is high time to seek additional sources.
The writer can be reach at his email: mail4fayazyousuf@doanmanhhieugmail-com
Tahjeeb Hossain Chowdhury:The Bangladesh Government has undertaken a project to spend 37.5 Billion USD on the Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100, within the year 2031. This is a part of the plan that was approved by the National Economic Council in 2018 for the protection and preservation of Bangladesh’s environment, people, and property against the harsh effects of climate change.
Bangladesh is the largest delta in the planet. Meaning that our country was formed after thousands of years of sediment gathering on the South-East Asian landmass, and the country is the largest landmass of such origin in the world. We have enjoyed the benefits of being a delta and our agriculture speaks volumes on that front. We have one of the most fertile soils in the world and our country has been blessed by a large number of crops and vegetation as a result.
But as we are a delta, we are also in the direct crosshairs of the adverse effects of climate change. Bangladesh has had a bad history with climate change. In a 2017 Germanwatch Climate Change Risk index, Bangladesh was ranked sixth on the list of countries hit hardest by climate change effects from 1996-2015. That is why Bangladesh is a part of the Paris Agreement.
For these reasons, Bangladesh has taken a plan to spend the previously mentioned amount of $37.5 Billion. This investment will mitigate the losses of climate change on Bangladesh as well as safeguard the population against its debilitating impact. Senior Secretary of Ministry of Planning Prof Dr Shamsul Alam has confirmed this in last year’s Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100: Implementation Challenges Conference.
There are many sectors which the government will focus on for this initiative. Climate change-related disasters, River security, water resources & water usage, transboundary management, and the proper use of land and water resources are some of the main sectors the investment will focus on.
As a rising economy, Bangladesh is expected to add another 1.5 points to the growth of the Bangladesh Economy by 2030 if this project can pull off the targets. What’s more important is that the Bangladeshi people and economy will have a fighting chance against climate change’s dark future.
(The writer is a marketing graduate, content writer, and data science enthusiast from Dhaka, reach him at [email protected])
Faruq Ahmed: Due to Cyclone Amphan, One lakh twenty thousand metric tonnes of mango has damaged. It amounts to ten percent of the country’s annual production of mango. Most of the mangoes which were supposed to be reaped within some days got knocked off the trees due to the mighty cyclone Amphan that brushed over the two districts.
According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), there is a total of 4,115 hectares of land were used for cultivating mangoes with a target of 40,000 tonnes in the seven upazilas of Satkhira. Nonetheless, the cyclone Amphan spoiled at least 83 percent of mangoes. Rajshahi Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) that mango was cultivated on 17,573 hectares of areas with a target of 210,000 tons of mangoes current year. About 12 to 15 percent mangoes fell from the trees due to the overnight stormy wind which might cause loss around Tk. 10 crore of we hypothetically rate per kg mango at Tk 40.
Rashed Iftekhar, agriculturist at the Department of Agricultural Extension’s control room in Dhaka was revealed this information. Bangladesh’s total 22.31 lakh hectares of orchard, mangoes in about 7,384 hectares were damaged in the cyclone, he also added.
Now, mango farmers have urged the government to purchase mangoes with the engagement of fruit processing industries. By this way, their losses will be minimized.
Dr Sorof Uddin, senior scientific officer of Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute, said to the media the district administration may take an urgent initiative to give the invitation to fruit processing industries for procuring the mangoes. Naturally, farmers start plucking mangoes midway through may every year while authorities set specific timeframes for its harvest in different districts of the country. The mango farmers also requested the Department of Agricultural Marketing for placing transport and marketing the mangoes to Dhaka and other places in the country as well.
Tahjeeb Hossain Chowdhury:Sundarbans is our Green Savior. It has always been the green protector for both our coastal regions and also the overall country in hindsight. The world’s largest mangrove forest has been cradling the people and properties of Bangladesh from devastating calamities. The same has been proven again as Sundarbans have fought off the Cyclone Amphan’s adverse effects on the coastal areas of Bangladesh.
From time and again Sundarbans have risen to the occasion again and again in saving our ecology from destructive forces of nature. Cyclones, in particular, could not damage our country’s many areas because of how the mangrove could swallow and absorb all the shock that the calamity has.
In the case of Amphan, the Acting Chief Conservator of the Forest, Amir Hossain Chowdhury said to media about how most of the force was absorbed by the forest. He said that the extent of the damage hasn’t been confirmed yet, but the nine regional offices of the forest were evacuated in the face of oncoming danger. The Nine offices were as follows: Kotka, Kochikhali, Shelarchar, Pashakkhali, Baherakhali, Puspakathi, Notabeki, Kachikata, Kawakhali.
60 to 70 employees of the forest offices were evacuated in time. The honey collectors were advised to seek refuge in the forest. Tiger Preservation expert Khasru Chowdhury has said about how the forest has saved the areas by absorbing the shock of the storms.
Dr Reza Khan has said to the media that the Khulna district would be akin to a dessert, and people would have problems of employment, if it wasn’t for Sundarbans.
The Sidr calamity of 2007 also wreaked havoc in our country. The Chandpai range of the forest was dealt heavy damages as trees were uprooted and vegetation was damaged. Yet, Sundarbans recovered as the Green Warrior it has been.
Sundarbans is a protector of the environment and also a vital cog in the wheel of the overall economy. The Rampal, Mongla, Taltoli, Kalapara industrial activities may cause dire situations for the forest in the future. The government has to plan and take due responsibilities in preserving our bulwark in the form of Sundarbans. The Joint 6017 square kilometers of land within India and Bangladesh do a lot for our overall environmental status. Saving it from future harm should have top-priority as cyclones will keep coming. We will need our protector once again that Cyclones visit again.
(The writer is a marketing graduate, content writer, and data science enthusiast from Dhaka, reach him at [email protected])
Ashik Rahman:The Cyclone Amphan has already hit the coastal areas Bangladesh. In Khulna, there are strong winds and very heavy rainfall due to Cyclone Amphan. The super Cyclone Amphan has beaten West Bengal and Bangladesh’s coastal area and seriously damaged parts of the world’s largest mangrove forest Sundarbans.
The Indian Met Office tweet which said Cyclone Amphan crossed West Bengal-Bangladesh coasts as a very severe cyclonic storm with speed of 155-165 kmph gusting to 185 kmph across Sundarbans.
Due to Cyclone Amphan, five deaths were reported from the coastal districts. One of the wounded was a Bangladesh Red Crescent volunteer, found in different national media of Bangladesh. Also photos posted on Twitter by ANI showed evacuated trees and damage caused by the cyclone Amphan.
“West Bengal: Streets in Kolkata waterlogged, trees uprooted and houses damaged due to strong winds and heavy rain as #Amphan crossed West Bengal-Bangladesh coast between Digha (West Bengal) and Hatiya Islands (Bangladesh) across Sunderbans, between 1530 and 1730 hrs today,” ANI Newstweeted.
However, The Sundarbans have been shielding the people of the coastal belt of Bangladesh from various disasters including cyclones. But the fate of wildlife in the mangroves who face the destruction still remains uncertain condition.
Bangladesh is a nation blessed with many natural treasures and scenic beauties. But another aspect is the total opposite of those blessings. Bangladesh has been also cursed by many natural calamities including cyclones. Notably, Bangladesh has been registered as the country that every type of flood has visited throughout its history. In recent years, Cyclones have been a very worrying addition. Just the last year, the Hurricane Fani wreaked havoc on the coastal areas of Bangladesh and India. Moreover, the Cyclone Amphan is heading towards Bangladesh Coasts at a rapid rate and the Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar Area has been issued a level 9 and Mongla and Payra Area signal.
Because of the troubling history of Cyclones, it would be a good idea to take a look back at the 12 major Cyclones that had ravaged the Bangladeshi shores. So let’s have a look at the 12 cyclones below chronologically:
The Barishal Cyclone in 1965
The Barishal District has had the misfortune of dealing with Cyclones on a regular basis. This Cyclone is no exception. With a wind speed of 160 kmph, the unnamed cyclone continued its destruction along the shores. The casualty mark 19279 with 16456 in the Barishal region alone. The Cyclone was accompanied by a storm surge of 3.7-7.6 metre.
The December Cyclone in1965
Similarly, another Cyclone again hit the country in the month of December. The wind speed was 217 kmph with a 2.3-3.6 meter storm surge. The victim count was much less than the previous cyclone with the number being 873.
The Cyclone of October in 1966
Another Cyclone that the coastal areas, hit the next year. The storm surge was 6-7 meters with a wind speed of 139 kmph. The cyclone claimed the lives of 859 people.
Bhola Cyclone in1970
The most destructive cyclone to ever hit the Bangladeshi atlas was the Bhola Cyclone. It caused the deaths of at least 300,000 people in the low-lying region near the Bangladesh coastal lines.
The Cyclone of Urir Chor in1985
Another devastating cyclone came in the form of Urir Chor Cyclone. It devastated over 94000 homes in the coastal region and 11069 people were killed. The Cyclone had a wind speed of 154 kmph and the Storm Surge was 3.0-4.6 meters.
Cyclone 04B in1988
Another destructive cyclonic storm hit the coastal areas with a wind speed of 162 kmph along with a storm surge of 4.5 meters. The casualties were numbered at 5,708.
The Cyclone of April in1991
Six years later, a tropical cyclone attacked the Chittagong district of southeastern Bangladesh on April 29, 1991. At least 138,000 Victims were reported to be killed by the cyclone. The fiscal damages were said to be around $1.5 billion.
The Cyclone of May in1997
After another 6 year gap, A cyclone with a wind speed of about 230 kmph hour hit the coastal areas on the mont of May 1997. The victim count this time was 155 people.
Cyclone Sidr in2007
This Cyclone was one of the most destructive natural Cyclones in Bangladesh. The new generation would remember the accompanying flood closing down social activities for a while. Sidr struck the country’s coastal belt wind speeds of up to 223 kmph. The Cyclone caused deaths of claimed 3,363 people.
Cyclone Aila in2009
Cyclone Aila lashed into 15 offshore districts of south-western part of Bangladesh with a wind speed of about 120 kmph. About 150 lives were and 200,000 houses were damaged or destroyed in the aftermath.
Cyclone Mahasen in2013
Cyclone Mahasen occurred near the Chittagong District with a wind speed of 85 km per hour. It caused the deaths of 17 people.
Cyclone Roanu in2016
Cyclone Roanu affected the people and properties in a different way. Although it was a Cyclone with an 83 kmph wind speed, the landfall caused by it resulted in the killing of 26 people. Around 40,000 houses were destroyed in addition.
Cyclone Amphan in2020
14 coastal districts experienced flood due to storm surges of Cyclone Amphan. There is a total of 4,115 hectares of land were used for cultivating mangoes with a target of 40,000 tonnes in the seven upazilas of Satkhira. Nonetheless, the cyclone Amphan spoiled at least 83 percent of mangoes.
Ashik Rahman: Cyclone Amphan is going to hit Bangladesh coastal districts by Wednesday (May 20, 2020) evening. 14 coastal districts may experience flood due to storm surges of Cyclone Amphan.
Cyclone Amphan has categorized as a super cyclone, was downgraded to an “extremely severe cyclonic storm” by Tuesday afternoon as it lost wind speed while advancing towards coastal areas of Bangladesh.
The Cyclone Amphan has been projected to move in a north-north-easterly direction and cross the Bangladesh-India coast near the mangrove forest Sundarbans between the afternoon and the evening on Wednesday. Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) provides bulletin time to time about Cyclone Amphan.
In a virtual press briefing on Tuesday (May 19, 2020) evening, the state minister said the highest danger signal (signal no 10) would be shown at 6 AM Wednesday and no one will be able to go to Cyclone shelters after the highest danger signal is raised. It will happen due to there will be no volunteers outside to take them to the shelter house.
At 9 PM on Tuesday, the Cyclone Amphan was located 740km southwest of Chittagong port, 695km southwest of Cox’s Bazar port, 615km south-southwest of Mongla port and 610km south-southwest of Payra port. The maximum sustained wind speed within 85km of the cyclone center is about 200km per hour (kph), rising to 220kph in gusts and squalls.
All fishing boats and trawlers over the North Bay and deep sea have been advised to take shelter on urgent basis and will remain in shelter until further notice.
The Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief has already allotted Tk. 50 lakh in cash, Tk. 31 lakh for baby food, Tk. 2.8 lakh for dairy feed, 3,100 tons of rice, and 42,000 packets of biscuits as assistance for 19 districts. All of them are allocated for coastal districts excluding Faridpur, Madaripur, Feni, and Sariatpur.
State minister Dr. Enamur Rahman told in the briefing that there are 12,078 cyclone shelters have been prepared to hold over 2 million people while maintaining health guidelines and social distancing. From remote areas and chars to shelters, the armed forces are helping to convey people.
Also, at the shelters, everyone will have to wear protective masks and maintain at least 1 Meter distance between each other due to Corona Pandemic.
