Muhammad Abdur Rahaman, Md. Nahid Ferdous
“ In Rajshahi in 2002, 43888 hectares of land were affected by severe drought which increased to 222400 hectares of land in 2022. Similarly in Chapainawabganj district, for a similar duration severe drought has increased in 17242 hectares of land (in 2002 it was 107558 hectares of land which increased to 124800 hectares in 2022 “.
Bangladesh is most exposed to natural hazards and most vulnerable to climate change impacts. The northern part of Bangladesh is highly exposed to climate-induced disasters, including drought, riverbank erosion, flood, cold wave, heat stress, and tornado (Goosen et al., 2018). Drought is most common in parts of the northwest, with the lowest average annual rainfall (1,400mm) (Henry et al., 2016). The IPCC assessment narrates that droughts will affect 8 million people by 2050 (Huq, 2011). FAO (2007) reported that the droughts in Bangladesh are products of two related factors: climate change and lack of surface water. In general, drought is the “absence of moisture or large-scale downward movement of air within the atmosphere, which suppresses rainfall” (FAO, 2007:10). However, droughts threaten the livelihoods of the affected areas, agricultural production, and economy of both the rural and urban areas. Like other disasters, a drought is a recurrent event in Bangladesh. The Center for People and Environ (CPE) has conducted a study in Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj districts to develop climate strategies with the support of Food for Hungry. The stud finds drought is increasing in both districts in terms of extent and severity. The study reveals that in Rajshahi during 2002, 43888 hectares of land were affected by a severe drought which increased to 222400 hectares of land in 2022. Similarly in Chapainawabganj district, for a similar duration severe drought has increased in 17242 hectares of land (in 2002 it was 107558 hectares of land which increased to 124800 hectares in 2022.
“ During 2015-2020, 3,426 households in Chapainawabganj and 2,014 households in Rajshahi were affected by a very severe drought. “.
Bangladesh Disaster Related Statistics (BDRS), 2021 reported that during 2015-2020, 3,426 households in Chapainawabganj and 2,014 households in Rajshahi were affected by very severe drought. The study also reveals that in the Rajshahi district, 530.32 sq. km of agricultural land has decreased within 20 years (2002-2022) due to drought, and bare land increased by 171.17 sq. km. In the Chapainawabganj district similarly, agricultural land has decreased by 507.05 sq. km.
Mr. Abu Mazahid (farmer of Godagai, Rajshahi and Mr. Daud Haider, farmer of Nachole, Chapainawabganj) mentioned that because of irrigation, they cannot cultivate many lands during the dry season. The Scientific Office of SRDI of Rajshahi reported that rainfall is comparatively lower in this region so why agricultural drought is a common phenomenon that restricts crop farming in the highlands of Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj.
In Chapainawabganj, agricultural activities decreased dramatically. Lower-income people are not involved with farming because of landlessness, drought, and a lack of irrigation which was reported by the farmers. In Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj, drought is the fundamental reason for restricting homestead gardens also.
References
- [1]Goosen, Dr. H., Hasan, T., Saha, S. K., Rezwana, Dr. N., Rahman, Md. R., Assaduzzaman, M., Kabir, A., Dubois, Dr. G., & Scheltinga, C. T. van. (2018).
- [2] Nationwide Climate Vulnerability Assessment in Bangladesh. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.
Henry, K., Muhammad, A., Islam, M., Hossain, J. B., & Mondal, P. (2016).
- [3] Reaching Resilience-CARE Bangladesh Strategy to Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation. https://careclimatechange.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Reaching-Resilience.pdf
- [4]Huq, S. (2011). Lessons of climate change, stories of solutions: Bangladesh: Adaptation. Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, 67(1), 56-59.
- [5]Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2007.Climate Variability and Change: Adaptation to Drought in Bangladesh.FAO: Rome
- [6]Goosen, Dr. H., Hasan, T., Saha, S. K., Rezwana, Dr. N., Rahman, Md. R., Assaduzzaman, M., Kabir, A., Dubois, Dr. G., & Scheltinga, C. T. van. (2018). Nationwide Climate Vulnerability Assessment in Bangladesh. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.
