The phenomena of rising temperature

There are only small patches of greenery in the vast dry land. Aftab Hossain looked at the sky with a dark face. Continuing dry weather for months on end has left his land virtually barren. In this difficult time, only a welcome bout of heavy rains can put the smile back on his face. Otherwise, his future may be ruined. He will not be able to get three meals a day for the family. The disastrous days of two decades back will return when his family was on the verge of starvation. Tears swell up is Aftab Hussain’s eyes when he remembers those days.

Closing his eyes, he raised his hands, looked as the sky and prayed for rain.

Only twenty years ago, people in rural areas united and prayed for the almighty’s mercy in the hope of rain in this kind of drought-like situation. In recent years, we have rarely come across such news. But this year prayers have been made in mosques for rain.

Usually, it rains most of the time in different areas of the country, including Dhaka from July to September. This year it has rained for two or three days in July. In early August, there was a little more rain, but the heat remained the same as before.

Especially every year at this time, there are heavy rains in the northern districts. But this time it didn’t happen.

The Bangladesh Metrological Department (BMD) had said in mid-July that Rangpur and Rajshahi may experience a heat wave. Their estimate was right.

The temperature in Rangpur and Rajshahi districts soared often over 40-degree celsius. Common people said they have never seen such heat and drought before.

According to meteorologists, the heat has increased due to the lack of seasonal rains. At this time, there is a lot of humidity. The body sweats profusely due to humidity.

We have long days from June to September. There is scorching sunlight stretching for long hours. If there is less rainfall the heat is unbearable for the people.

Environmentalists say the climate has changed over the years. Ice in the Polar Regions is melting. Consequently, various types of pathogens are spreading in the atmosphere and people are affected by various types of diseases and they are not able to easily recover from those diseases.

Burning fossil fuels, cutting down forests and farming livestock are increasingly influencing the climate and the earth’s temperature. This adds enormous amounts of greenhouse gases to those naturally occurring in the atmosphere, increasing the greenhouse effect and have led to rising temperatures in different parts of the globe. And Bangladesh is not immune to the phenomenon.

We are witnessing marked changes in the characteristics of traditional seasons. While there was hardly any rain in the months of Ashar and Sravan the opposite was observed in the usually dry months of Baishakh and Jaishtha. Instead of raining when it should have rained, it rained at another time.

The duration of winter is sometimes decreasing and sometimes increasing. This is evident in our country this year. For example, in the northern region, it gets very cold during winter. However, there has been less cold this winter season. During that time, it rained heavily for several days, and the potato crops in that area were severely damaged. It was also observed that the northern regions were less cold during the day. But there was heavy fog from eleven o’clock at night to ten in the morning. Such changes have not been seen before.

In the same manner, it usually rains when it is slightly hot in Dhaka city. This year, the amount of rainfall has been very low.

In these hot public life is hard and stifling. People (at least those who can afford it) cannot live without ACs and fans all the time. This has led to increased power consumption.

However, considering the current global situation, the government has decided to reduce the import of diesel to save foreign exchange. For this reason, all diesel-powered power plants have been shut down. This has reduced power generation and widened the gap between production and demand.

The government is trying to deal with the issue by trying to ensure that the country does not suffer from power shortages in the future. The government has taken special steps regarding electricity distribution and has started an area-wise load shedding programme across the country from July 19th. As a result, there is less electricity. During the hours when there is electricity, people use air conditioners and fans more to keep the house cool. But this opportunity is rare in rural areas.

As a result, the economy and agriculture have suffered due to the severe drought. Aman paddy cultivation requires a lot of water. Naturally, rainwater fulfils this requirement. The planting of Aman rice seedlings has been going on for some time. For this, the land needs cultivation and irrigation. It usually rains during this time. Farmers prepare the land with rainwater. Due to a lack of rain, farmers could not prepare the land naturally this year.

According to the sources of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), the target of the government was to cultivate Aman paddy on 56.2 lakh hectares of land this year.

As the land dries up due to severe drought, diesel-powered tractors are used to cultivate it, increasing the farmers’ costs. Again, due to load shedding, they have irrigated the land through diesel-powered pumps. Crops do not grow normally in hot and dry weather. Crops on the land, including plants, have been scorched.

So the people concerned say that this year’s Aman paddy production will be lower and its price will be higher due to high consumption. Rice prices in the country reached an all-time high this year. But experts are predicting that this record can be exceeded if the production is low. Apart from this, farmers will suffer financially due to its impact on various vegetables and other crops this season. It will be very difficult to recover from this loss.

Not only the farmers but also the working-class people are suffering from this heat. They work during the day. Rickshaw pullers, construction workers, day labourers, and other menial workers are working very hard in extreme heat. And this heavy labour is taking its toll on their health. They are also forced to work for a shorter duration. This has reduced their daily income. In this hot weather, teachers and students are also taking classes with enormous difficulty. Many people have been affected by heatstroke in such situations. Diarrhoea has increased manifold. People have also been affected by other heat-related diseases.

People are at a loss regarding how to escape from this heat. School schedules need to be flexible during the day. Everyone should drink plenty of water and eat foods that are high in water content. It is necessary to eat light food and avoid fried or rich foods. The media can make launch a campaign about the matter. People need to be made aware of how they can stay comfortable in the summer. Instructions can be given to the relevant institutions regarding changes to the work schedule or making the work lighter.

It is necessary to consider whether less frequent load shedding can be used in rural areas. Meanwhile, the government has already increased the price of urea fertiliser by Taka 6 per kg. All in all, we need to pay attention so that our agriculture is not harmed. The government may consider giving subsidies to the farmers of Aman paddy this year.

Stakeholders should meet and decide how the issues can be dealt with or improved to reduce the losses of farmers. Besides, electricity is also essential in potato cold storage, and cattle and poultry farms.

Awareness about the biosphere and vegetation is also needed. In particular, the animals that are in zoos and other places also need special care.

The writer is a freelance columnist. She can be contacted at [email protected]