No weather office in Gaibandha
Farmers remain in dark about natural calamities
OUR CORRESPONDENT | Wednesday, 8 January 2025
GAIBANDHA, Jan 07: The farmers of northern Gaibandha district remain in the dark about timely forecast of any natural calamities with no regional meteorological office here.
Farmers said agriculture is the lifeblood of Gaibandha which belongs to 186 chars. As many as 20 types of crops are grown in the district.
Gaibandha is a district of 33,000 hectares of land- of which 27,000 hectares are cultivable, according to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE).
"We don't get weather forecast of storm, heavy rain, flood, drought and other natural calamities for lack of any weather office in Gaibandha," many a farmer said.
Therefore, different natural calamities, including storm, flood and drought, damage huge quantities of crops every year, they add.
"We can't take precautionary measures against any natural disasters to protect our crops for lack of timely forecast from a Met office here," says Rubel, a young farmer.
Local people said there is no regional weather office in this area, so common people do not get any information about any natural disasters.
The farmers of this area are repeatedly affected by
natural disasters without getting accurate forecast timely.
And there is no way of knowing about how much rain drop in Gaibandha, a flood-prone district.
Khorshed Alam, deputy director at the DAE in Gaibandha, has told the Financial Express that the DAE provide farmers with weather information.
"We give weather forecast through SMS and various apps to farmers who take protective measures during any inclement weather."
If any office or branch of Met department is set up in Gaibandha, local people, especially farmers, will get timely weather forecast, Mr Alam added.
Hafizur Rahman Babu, chairman of the Gaibandha Entrepreneurs Forum, has told the FE that local people do not get accurate forecast of flood, drought and rain, as there is no weather office in Gaibandha.
However, local people have called upon the government authorities to set up a Met office in Gaibandha so that they can take protective measures against any natural calamities.