Weather forecast and our Met office
Again it shows the lack of a coordinated institutional disaster planning and management strategy. Bangladesh has experienced several catastrophic environmental disasters during the last decade; among these events, the 1991 April cyclone was the most catastrophic in terms of both physical and human dimensions.
In 1991 cyclone, infrastructure destruction was widespread. Bangladesh’s major port, Chittagong, was severely damaged and was non-operational for several days. Damaged/sunken ships, many of them belonging to the Bangladesh Navy, blocked the port. Several key bridges, including the main bridge to Chittagong, were washed out or otherwise damaged.
SPARRSO (Bangladesh Space Research and Remote Sensing Organisation/‘Mohakash Gabeshona O Dur Anudhaban Protishtan’) — a multi-sectoral research and development agency of the Government of Bangladesh under the Ministry of Defence. It is functioning as an autonomous organisation and is engaged in developing peaceful usage of space science and remote sensing technology in the country.
However, it appears that SPARRSO is not capable of giving early warning or has become a failed organisation, and Bangladesh defence force is also not capable of protecting national pride. In 1991, Bangladesh Air Force lost many fighter jets. Same also happened with Bangladesh Navy, which lost many boats. The total cost of the damage was close to $500 million (Bangladesh Defence Force’s only) according to the Internet source.
After 1991 loss, how come Bangladesh Navy is still been acting the same, not maintaining an early warning system? Can some one shed some light on this please?
Sayeed Rahman
On e-mail
* * *
He bade goodbye to his wife and the little ones. Eid was nearing. He could not give anything to his little ones in the last Eid. This time, after a successful trip to the sea he was hoping to give at least a set of cheap new clothes to his loved ones. He braved the deep sea in good faith with his hired traditional engine boat and net, as there was no warning in radio or from other sources. And he was not among the lucky ones to survive the storm when it hit the coastal region. The ending of the story is gruesome — crows, crocodiles and dogs feasting on his corpse.
It was a simple negligence on the part of the Met Office that triggered death of thousands of poor fishermen. May be a little effort of the concerned official (which is his duty) could have saved these lives. Now all they are trying to do is cover it up and look for some other organisations to shift the blame. The blame game will go on and the guilty officials will get away with this as usual. But will the bereaved families get back the beloved ones they lost in the storm?
Saif
Dhaka
* * *
All these deaths could have been avoided, if there was adequate warning before the cyclone hit. Somebody had failed to carry out their duty, either due to incompetence or negligence. This is homicide in a grand scale.
Will they get away scot-free once again? Will the authorities take action?
AA
Dhaka
|
New Age requests readers to send letters and opinions to letters@newagebd.com, newage.feedback@gmail.com or ‘Feedback’, Holiday Building, 30 Tejgaon Industrial Area, Dhaka-1208. All submissions are subject to editing. Letters must be signed and include valid mailing address, e-mail address and telephone number (if any).
|
MAIN PAGE | TOP
|
|
