Bangladesh sees five cyclones in a year

Cyclone takes place frequently in the Bay of Bengal due to the global climate change, causing massive losses of lives, crops, livestock, fisheries and infrastructure in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh has witnessed five cyclones in the last twelve and a half months, with the latest cyclone 'Remal' wreaking havoc in its coastal belt.
Remal claimed 16 lives and caused damage for crops, mangoes, flimsy houses and other infrastructures, official sources said.
Climatologists and meteorologists have said cyclone has become random nowadays in the Bay compared to four decades back due to the global climate change.
Cyclone 'Mocha' made its mark in May 2023, followed by Hamoon in August the same year, according to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD).
November 2023 saw the arrival of Midhili and November and December were marked by the fury of cyclone Michaung.
Meteorologist Dr Sadequl Alam says it is clear as per data of last sixty-four years that cyclones have become random in the Bay in this millennium.
Bangladesh witnessed above 49 cyclones since 1960 of which 20 cyclones happened since 2007. During the period, the country faced devastating cyclones like Sidr, Aila, Fani, Mahasen, Amphan and Remal, he added.
In between 1970 and 1971, the country faced three cyclones in a row. But the record of the last one year (from May 2023 to May 2024) passed all records, he went on.
Prof AKM Saiful Islam of Institute of Water and Flood Management at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology has told the FE that ocean temperature has been rising amid the global warming.
A cyclone is formed when the average temperature of a sea crosses 27 degree Celsius, he said, adding that now the Bay's temperature is 31 degree Celsius.
He further says the Indian Ocean has been warming fast than that of other oceanic systems which is also another bad message for Bangladesh.
Prof Islam says the average temperature of land has increased by 1.1 degree and the sea by 1.0 degree.
Cyclone will be random now in the country which should adopt its financial and development policies, he forecasts.
As the global climate change is being happened for the developed countries, Bangladesh has the right to get compensations from the global climate funds, he mentions.
He said the United Nations adopted a loss-and-damage fund in its last climate conference (COP28) in Dubai.
Dr Wais Kabir, former executive chairman of the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC), has said cyclones cause widespread devastation for crops and vegetable fields, fruit orchards, shrimp and other fish farms in both coastal and non-coastal regions.
He said the latest cyclone 'Remal' had a 400-kilometre diameter which caused massive devastation in over 30 districts.
Farmers, fish-farm owners and people who lost their homes due to the cyclone should be given compensations. Rehabilitation work should be boosted to bring back people in normalcy, he said.

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