Fishermen in offshore islands most vulnerable to cyclones, rough sea
Monday, 23 November 2009
Mashiur Rahaman
Fishermen communities in 72 offshore islands who are struggling to sustain their mere existence are most vulnerable to frequently striking cyclones and rough sea, experts said.
Total 0.5 million households of fishermen along with about 2.7 million family members depend directly on fishing. They are among the poorest among all in the country but taking the brunt of changing climate as increased frequency and intensity of cyclones followed by tidal-surge wash away their lives and belongings before they can manage to recover from an earlier disaster.
Besides the damage of striking cyclones, recent study has also revealed, rough sea, which has intensified its power in recent years, has cut short their fishing hours.
Fishing has been their only source of earning but the gradual shrinking of fishing days is threatening their existence, study conducted by Climate Change Cell (CCC) of the Department of Environment revealed.
"Rising death tolls due to the striking disasters as well as shrinking fishing days in recent years have made these fishermen communities most vulnerable in the face of climate change," Research Officer of CCC-DoE Mezbanur Rahman explained.
According to the country's meteorological department, devastating cyclones passed over Bangladesh coast four times between 2007 and 2009, and two made direct hit. Two cyclones that hit the Bangladeshi cost were the super cyclone Sidr (November 2007) and Aila (May 2009) which killed thousands and left the entire coastal area deserted.
Fishermen communities in 72 offshore islands who are struggling to sustain their mere existence are most vulnerable to frequently striking cyclones and rough sea, experts said.
Total 0.5 million households of fishermen along with about 2.7 million family members depend directly on fishing. They are among the poorest among all in the country but taking the brunt of changing climate as increased frequency and intensity of cyclones followed by tidal-surge wash away their lives and belongings before they can manage to recover from an earlier disaster.
Besides the damage of striking cyclones, recent study has also revealed, rough sea, which has intensified its power in recent years, has cut short their fishing hours.
Fishing has been their only source of earning but the gradual shrinking of fishing days is threatening their existence, study conducted by Climate Change Cell (CCC) of the Department of Environment revealed.
"Rising death tolls due to the striking disasters as well as shrinking fishing days in recent years have made these fishermen communities most vulnerable in the face of climate change," Research Officer of CCC-DoE Mezbanur Rahman explained.
According to the country's meteorological department, devastating cyclones passed over Bangladesh coast four times between 2007 and 2009, and two made direct hit. Two cyclones that hit the Bangladeshi cost were the super cyclone Sidr (November 2007) and Aila (May 2009) which killed thousands and left the entire coastal area deserted.