Media reports on Saturday said a typhoon is heading towards Japan. The typhoon now all set to strike Japan will be hopefully less destructive than last year's typhoon Vong Fong. That vicious storm practically damaged Japan's nuclear power plants success story and compelled the country to go for safer radiation-free traditional thermal options for power generation.
The next couple of days will reveal details of destruction of this cyclone, which has been a perennial source of sorrows for Japan over the centuries.
Fortunately, the huge Asian land mass behind us and the vast Himalayan mountain range have spared this sub-continent from similar furies of the nature coming across from the Indian Ocean. Nevertheless, this poor sub-continent too has had many past records of misery, damage and destruction that have been suffered by our much poorer people compared to Japan.
Only Pakistan, located in the north-west, away from the Indian Ocean and close to Africa and Europe's landmass, has suffered to a much lesser degree from cyclones and storms being much fewer and less violent and destructive.
The UN, through its many agencies, should pioneer research on controlling storms and lessening their uncontrolled wind velocity that is the cause of destruction. It may relate to more advanced techniques of cloud seeding and creating more rainfall or snow precipitation before the super-saturated storm-laden wind develops more velocity and potential destructiveness. This is only a guess. It may be persons with more advanced and expert knowledge on weather science and physics who can solve these issues. This is an area of knowledge and skill that have still eluded our researchers.
In this context, Japan with its potential scientific knowledge, backed with material and financial resources, should be involved in the new realm of weather management and control.
Engr S A Mansoor
Dhaka
Super typhoon and Japan
FE Team | Published: October 12, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00
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