Cyclone
Cyclone ‘Jawad’ brewing in Bay of Bengal
The cyclonic storm ‘Jawad’ over the west-central Bay of Bengal and adjoining areas has moved north-northwestwards and currently lies over the same area, weather officials have said.
Around 6am on Saturday, the storm was centred about 1,030 kms southwest of Chattogram port, 995 kms southwest of Cox’s Bazar port, 885 kms south-southwest of Mongla port and 895 kms south-southwest of Payra port.
It is likely to move further in a north-northwesterly direction, the weather department said.
Maximum sustained wind speed within 54 kms of the cyclone centre is about 62 kmph rising to 88 kmph in gusts or squalls. Sea will remain very rough near the cyclone centre, according to the weather bulletin.
Read:Maritime ports asked to hoist local cautionary signal 3
The maritime ports of Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar, Mongla and Payra in Bangladesh have been advised to hoist at the mast local cautionary signal two to alert vessels of the impending storm.
Also read: Weather dept asks maritime ports to warn vessels of squall
All fishing boats and trawlers in the northern Bay of Bengal and deep sea have been advised to remain close to the coast and proceed with caution. They are also advised not to venture into the deep sea.
Cyclone ‘Gulab’: Warning signal 2 issued for maritime ports
The maritime ports of the country have been advised to hoist distant warning signal number two as cyclonic storm ‘Gulab’ over Northwest Bay and adjoining West-Central Bay moved westwards and now lies over the same area.
It was centred at 6 am on Sunday about 665 kms Southwest of Chattogram port, 630 kms Southwest of Cox’s Bazar port, 525 kms South of Mongla port and 530 kms south of Payra port, said a special bulleting of Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD).
Read: Maritime ports asked to hoist cyclone warning signal 3
It is likely to move in a West-Northwesterly direction further.
Maximum sustained wind speed within 54 kms of the cyclone centre is about 62 KPH rising to 88 kph in gusts or squalls.
Sea will remain very rough near the cyclone centre.
Read: Preparedness strengthened ahead of cyclone, monsoon season in Cox's Bazar: IOM
All fishing boats and trawlers over north Bay and deep sea have been advised to remain close to the coast and proceed with caution.
They are also advised not to venture into the deep sea.
Maritime ports asked to hoist cyclone warning signal 3
The maritime ports of Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar, Mongla and Payra in Bangladesh have been advised to hoist at the mast local cautionary signage three to alert vessels of a possible squall.
The weather office's advisory for cautionary signal number three -- which means that a depression has formed and may affect the ports later -- comes in the wake of a deep depression over the Northwest Bay moving over to the eastern Indian state of Odisha.
Read:Signal 3 for maritime ports as depression intensifies into deep depression
Squally weather may affect the maritime ports, the North Bay and the adjoining coastal areas of Bangladesh, according to the Met office.
The deep depression may continue moving further towards the west-northwesterly direction, its weather bulletin said.
"All boats and trawlers in the North Bay have been advised to remain close to the coast and proceed with caution until further notice," it added.
Read: Cautionary signal 3 for Bangladesh maritime ports
Besides, the low-lying coastal areas of Bagerhat, Khulna, Satkhira, Chittagong, Jhalakathi, Bhola, Barisal, Patuakhali, Barguna, Bhola, and Laximpur are likely to be inundated by a wind-driven tidal surge of 2-3 feet above normal.
WFP, GOB launch Cyclone Preparedness curriculum
A curriculum on community-based Cyclone Early Warning Systems has been launched at a ceremony at Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner’s office in Cox’s Bazar district town.
Officials from the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief (MoDMR), which leads the national Cyclone Preparedness Programme (CPP), launched the curriculum on Friday night.
Read: Preparedness strengthened ahead of cyclone, monsoon season in Cox's Bazar: IOM
The ceremony was attended by Secretary of MoDMR Md. Mohsin; Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner Shah Rezwan Hayat; CPP Director Ahmadul Haque; Deputy Commissioner of Cox’s Bazar district Mamunur Rashid; Representatives from BRAC as well as Professor Dr. ASM Maksud Kamal, Pro Vice-Chancellor, University of Dhaka; Sheila Grudem, WFP Emergency Coordinator in Cox’s Bazar.
Jointly organized by the government, WFP and BRAC, the event was told that Bangladesh is no stranger to natural disasters; from Tropical Cyclone Bhola pre-independence to Tropical Cyclone Amphan in 2020 and the many floods and natural disasters in between, the people of Bangladesh have proven their resilience to climate shocks.
Since 1970, systems and protocols have been developed to save lives and improve recovery time for communities.
One of these developments is the implementation of Early Warning Systems, an essential part of disaster risk reduction that gives time to individuals and communities to prepare for an expected disaster.
Read: Cyclone Yaas disrupts normal life in 23 chars of Bhola
A product of the collaboration between MoDMR and WFP, with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and BRAC’s Humanitarian Leadership Academy, this manual, in conjunction with training, will aim to strengthen the capacity of volunteers to disseminate early warnings to communities across all coastal areas where the Cyclone Preparedness Programme is active.
“Strengthening emergency preparedness is the best way to protect our communities against natural disasters and climate change,” said Md. Mohsin, Secretary of MoDMR.
“We are grateful for the support of WFP and USAID, which helped bring this curriculum to life,” Mohsin added.
“We are thankful to the government for taking the lead in developing this curriculum, which will help improve Bangladesh’s early warning systems and should serve as a valuable resource for all humanitarian actors involved in emergency preparedness,” said Sheila Grudem, WFP Emergency Coordinator in Cox’s Bazar.
“The new curriculum will help our volunteer capacity development a big deal,” said Ahmadul Haque, CPP Director.
Read:Yaas: How Bhasan Char prepared for the cyclone
Increasing resilience and reducing the damage caused by disasters is a key priority for WFP due to the profound impact disasters have on food-insecure and vulnerable populations around the world.
As part of WFP’s disaster risk reduction programmes in Bangladesh and in collaboration with the MoDMR, since Page 2 of 2 2019 WFP has also rehabilitated 70 cyclone shelters and improved access to them through roads, bridges, and culverts, with support from USAID.
Govt. moves to boost climate resilience of vulnerable people, says official document
The government is finalising a project aimed at enhancing the climate resilience of vulnerable communities who live on coastal islands and riverine chars in the country.
The project titled, ‘Adaptation Initiative for Climate Vulnerable Offshore Small Islands and Riverine Charland in Bangladesh’ is under process for approval, according to an official document.
Spanning over five years, the project will be implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change following UNDP’s National Implementation Modality.
Read: COP26: Global competition launched to find top climate science communicators
This project has four components. First one is: Enhancing climate resilience of households through climate-resilient housing, electrification and climate-proof water provisioning, and the second is increasing climate resilience of communities through climate-resilient infrastructure, climate risk mapping and inclusive cyclone preparedness.
The third component is improving income and food security of communities by innovating and providing assistance to selected households for climate-resilient livelihoods practices while the 4th is boosting knowledge and capacity of communities, government and policymakers to promote climate resilient development on chars.
According to the project proposal USD 2,007,828 is needed for Component 1 whereas USD 2,317,726, USD 3,397,068 and USD 614,700 will be needed for Component 2, Component 3 and Component 4 respectively.
Project execution cost has been fixed USD 875,000 while Total Project Cost is USD 9,212,322.
Implementing Entity Project Cycle Management Fee Of the project is USD 783,047.
The US$ 9,995,369 has been sought from the Washington based Adaptation Fund (AF) to address the knowledge technical, financial and institutional barriers to climate-resilient housing, infrastructure and livelihoods, the document said.
Tropical Storm Elsa moving across west Cuba, then to Florida
Tropical Storm Elsa swept over western Cuba near Havana with strong rain and winds Monday night, and forecasters said it would move on to the Florida Keys on Tuesday and Florida’s central Gulf coast by Wednesday.
The storm was passing over mainly rural areas to the east of Havana after making landfall near Cienega de Zapata, a natural park with few inhabitants.
Read: Tropical Storm Elsa nears Cuba amid fears of flooding
By evening, Elsa had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (85 kph). Its core was about 30 miles (30 kilometers) east of Havana and moving to the northwest at 13 mph (20 kph).
“The wind is blowing hard and there is a lot of rain. Some water is getting under the door of my house. In the yard the level is high, but it did not get into the house,” Lázaro Ramón Sosa, a craftsman and photographer who lives in the Zapata Swamp, told The Associated Press by telephone.
Sosa said he saw some avocado trees fall nearby.
Read: Hurricane Elsa races toward Haiti amid fears of landslides
Though Havana was expected to miss the brunt of the storm, many people in the capital were staying in place.
“For now, I staying at home. We have to wait for the night and see exactly what happens,” Aida Herrera, who lives next to the Malecon boulevard facing the sea, told AP.
Elsa had spent Sunday and much of Monday sweeping parallel to Cuba’s southern coast before heading on to land, sparing most of the island from significant effects.
As a precaution, Cuban officials had evacuated 180,000 people against the possibility of heavy flooding from a storm that already battered several Caribbean islands, killing at least three people.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said the storm was expected to move back over the sea before midnight Monday and then head for Florida. Tropical storm warnings were posted for the Florida Keys from Craig Key westward to the Dry Tortugas and for the west coast of Florida from Flamingo northward to the Ochlockonee River.
Elsa was a Category 1 hurricane until Saturday morning, causing widespread damage on several eastern Caribbean islands Friday as the first hurricane of the Atlantic season. The storm caused the deaths of one person on St. Lucia and of a 15-year-old boy and a 75-year-old woman in separate events in the Dominican Republic.
Elsa is the earliest fifth-named storm on record and also broke the record as the tropic’s fastest-moving hurricane, clocking in at 31 mph Saturday morning, said Brian McNoldy, a hurricane researcher at the University of Miami.
Can shrimp farmers recover from Amphan-Yaas double blow?
Till even the start of 2020, farming of freshwater shrimp, otherwise known as 'white gold' among Bangladeshis for its lucrative export value, and the newer addition of crab farming in the same ponds and enclosures as the shrimp combined to paint a very optimistic future for the sector, with the promise of ample export earnings once the pandemic was over.
Eighteen months later, the shrimp and crab farmers have lost not just income by way of lower demand, but also much of their assets in two natural disasters – Cyclones Amphan and Yaas- that brought tidal surges that washed away entire fish enclosures.
For the owners, it is now a question of survival, and by doing so, keeping the 1 –1.5 million people employed naked in the sector and its offshoots in jobs. But they almost certainly cannot do it now without some form of bailout from the government - their dues have piled up, and many face the prospect of forced closure. Indeed, there have been scores of closures.
Read: Yaas leaves behind Tk 60 crore worth of damage, losses in Khulna
Shrimp farmers must be wondering whether there is some curse over them, preventing them from meeting their potential. Every year since 2013-14 fiscal has seen their sector hit by some major disruption, coming with new challenges for Bangladesh's ''white gold" or commercial shrimp production. Viral infections, drought, heavy rain, flood, tidal surge, and cyclones are wiping away shrimp enclosures.
According to the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), Bangladesh exported 41,236 tonnes of shrimp worth $545 million in the 2013-14 fiscal year.
Since then, shrimp export has been dropping. By the 2018-19 fiscal year, exports decreased by 34 percent to $361 million. In that fiscal year, the country exported 29,543 tonnes of shrimp.
The slump in demand for Bangladeshi shrimp over this period can also be partially attributed to the explosion in popularity of the white leg shrimp.
Read Tropical Storm or Cyclone Preparedness Checklist 2021
Most of the farmers are also suffering continuous losses because of the drop in prices after the onset of the pandemic and the actions of syndicates of frozen food entrepreneurs.
Also, Cyclone Yaas and the resultant floods have shattered the hopes of shrimp and fish farmers of the coastal districts and nearby areas.
Shrimp, white fish, and crabs in farms and ponds over vast stretches of land in many villages of Bagerhat, Khulna, and Satkhira have been washed away by gushing floodwater and tides, causing huge losses to the farmers.
Also, houses, structures and equipment surrounding the ponds and farms were washed away.
Read: Shrimp farmers count losses from cyclone in Koyra
Aquaculture farmers and shrimp cultivators, who have already counted losses worth crores of taka, do not know how long it will take them to recover the losses.
Shrimp farming, which once lifted many people out of poverty, has now become synonymous with loss.
The fate of many, who invested all their hopes and money to renovate the pond, now hangs in balance. So, they are looking for other ways to protect themselves including the introduction of an insurance scheme and moving to other professions.
There was a shortage of shrimp fries at the beginning of the year. Also, viral infections and drought hit most of the shrimp enclosures during the farming season. A huge quantity of shrimp died in enclosures from viral infections.
Read CSOs, MPs demand Tk 150 bn for coastal protection
CSOs, MPs demand Tk 150 bn for coastal protection
A group of civil society organisations (CSOs) and MPs from coastal areas on Saturday urged the government to allocate at least Tk 150 billion for coastal protection, particularly for climate-resilient embankment construction.
Speaking at a virtual seminar, they said the government can make the allocation from the revenue in the national budget for the fiscal year 2021-22.
Read: Priotise embankment for protection of coastal population
The environmental experts suggested the government develop an embankment maintenance strategy and ensure effective involvement of local government in the process.
The seminar was jointly organized by the COAST foundation, Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihood (CSRL), Center for Participatory Research & Development (CPRD), and Coastal Livelihood and Environmental Action Network (CLEAN).
Saber Hossain Chowdhury, MP, the Chair of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Forest, Environment and Climate Change, attended the programme as the chief guest while Aminul Hoque of COAST presented the keynote paper.
Narayon Chandra Chanda, MP from Khulna-5, Mushtaque Ahmed Robi, MP from Satkhira-2, Nurunnabi Chowdhury, MP from Bhola-3, Nahim Razzaq, MP from Shariatpur-3, Asheq Ullah Rafiq, MP from Cox's Bazar-2, Shameem Haider Patwary, MP from Gaibandha-1, Zafar Alam, MP from Cox's Bazar-1, Dr Ainun Nishat, Professor Emeritus BRAC University, Md Shamsuddoha of CPRD and Hasan Mehedi of CLEAN also spoke at the programme.
In his keynote presentation, Aminul Hoque said cyclone and monsoon floods are damaging the livelihoods and structures in coastal areas every year, causing immense sufferings to people living there.
“But the government has ignored the sufferings of people by placing a traditional budget for embankment construction which is not appropriate to address the issues,” he said.
Aminul said the government will have to allocate at least Tk150 billion every year as the minimum requirement for embankment construction. “Local government authorities have to be given the mandate with an adequate budget for embankment maintenance.”
Saber Hossain Chowdhury said a national risk assessment is needed to support the government in allocating appropriate resources.
He demanded a roadmap on this issue along with preparing an embankment policy.
Dr Ainun Nishat said political biases should be minimised when it comes to prioritisation and budget allocation for the protection of the coastal embankments and preparing an appropriate embankment planning.
“The projects under the “Delta Plan” have been taken without considering local knowledge,” he observed.
Asheq Ullah Rafiq said it is necessary to give a district-wise allocation for the embankment construction and protection.
Nahim Razzaq said a comprehensive water management system and planning is essential to reduce the effect of coastal disasters. “This is only possible by ensuring inter-ministerial coordination. We can form a “Caucus” with coastal MPs to strengthen the advocacy on this issue.”
Yaas leaves behind Tk 60 crore worth of damage, losses in Khulna
The local administration has estimated a loss of Tk 60 crore in damage caused by Cyclone Yaas in the coastal areas of Khulna district.
Due to the impact of the cyclone, many houses, fish enclosures, some 100 kilometres of embankments and crop lands were damaged.
Read: Cyclone Yaas disrupts normal life in 23 chars of Bhola
The experts have estimated that the combined damage is worth up to Tk 60 crore.
In Koyra upazila, 50 villages under four unions of the district have been flooded by the river water while the tidal surge entered the localities through 11 points of the flood-protection embankment as the water levelof Kapotakkho, Koyra and Shakbaria rivers increased 6-7 feet above the normal level.
The local administration of Koyra upazila alone said the losses caused by the cyclone amount to Tk 35 crore.
Fish farmers of the upazila are the worst affected as fish of some 2550 hectares of shrimp enclosures and ponds have been washed away, counting a loss of fish worth Tk 15 crore.
Besides, the tidal surge inundated many low-lying areas of the upazila as embankments in many points including Dashhalia, Mathbari, Tetultala char, Angtihara, Gobra, Ghatakhali, Koyra headquarters, Katkata, Kashir Hatkhola, Katmarchar, Pabna, Kashir Khal, Hogla, Uttar Bedkashi, Gatir Gheri, Shakbaria, Noyani and Khorolkati have been damaged.
GM Abdullah Al Mamun, chairman of Maharazpur union, said “The volunteers have repaired the risky points of the embankments but they failed to protect villages and the tidal surge entered into the locality through many points of the embankments.”
Read: Yaas: How Bhasan Char prepared for the cyclone
Sagar Hossain Soikat, project implementation officer of Koyra upazila, said “Thirty-five villages in the upazila have been flooded due to the impact of Cyclone Yaas, rendering 25,000 people marooned. We have made a list of the damaged things and we found Tk 35 crore damage.”
Besides, 7050 houses were damaged during the cyclonic storm. Of these, 50 houses were fully damaged, 1200 houses were damaged partially and 5,800 houses were slightly damaged, said Sagar Hossain.
Animesh Biswas, Koyra Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO), said necessary assistance will be provided to the affected people.
In Paikgachcha upazila, 86 kilometres of roads of ten unions and a municipality have been damaged while 28 kilometres of the embankment was partially damaged.
Some 660 hectares of shrimp enclosures have been washed away, incurring a loss of Tk 1.15 crore.
Besides, 10,000 people have been affected by the cyclone.
Read:Cyclone Yaas: 4 teams formed to assess damage in the Sundarbans
Imrul Kayesh, project implementation officer of the upazila, said a number of villages were inundated by the tidal surge.
According to the sources in Dakope upazila, 200 hectares of fish enclosures were washed away and 34 kilometres of road, 24 kiloometre embankment, 15 mosques, five temples, and 2,828 houses were damaged. The overall estimate of losses caused by the cyclone in the upazila is Tk 11.27 crore.
Sundarbans bears the brunt of Yaas while shielding rest of the country
The Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove forest of which more than half lies in Bangladesh, once again acted as a natural barrier protecting the country from the worst effects of Cyclone Yaas, as it has done countless times before. Yet this protection comes at a cost, as the forest ecosystem must bear heavy damage each time to both its flora and fauna.
At least 6 deer, alive and dead, were recovered until Thursday as they came floating along the flood waters from the forest, a day after rthe cyclone made landfall. For two days, the entire mangrove remained inundated in saline water pushed in by tidal waves that reached over 5-feet during the high tide.
Read Yaas leaves behind Tk 60 crore worth of damage, losses in Khulna
Experts fear for the rich biodiversity of the forest as salt water may remain for quite some time before being absorbed into the soil, turning the land saline too.
“Through a long adaptive process wildlife has survived in Sundarbans but the biodiversity will be affected as their food and habitats have been destroyed,” said Dr. Md Anwarul Islam, professor of the Zoology Department at Dhaka University.
“Remaining submerged in saline water can hinder reproduction as well as other diseases to the animals,” he said.
Also read: Cyclone Yaas disrupts normal life in 23 chars of Bhola
The southwestern mangrove forest formed on the Bay of Bengal has been working as a buffer between the coastal population and many catastrophic cyclones that ravage the region every year. Cyclones Aila, Bulbul, Sidr, Amphan and most recently Yaas all at first rampaged the Sundarbans and then weakened as they reached further into Bangladesh.