Over 8,000 families were stranded after floods swept through six unions in the low-lying areas of Chapainawabganj yesterday. The same day, the water level of the Teesta River surged above the danger mark, triggering floods in several low-lying areas of Nilphamari's Dimla upazila.
The flood season has only recently started, but within the past week, three major river systems have already overflowed.
Zoom In:
- Around a quarter of the population resides along the southern coast, where disrupted weather patterns cause havoc, leading to an increase in flooding and riverbank erosion.
- Every year, an area larger than Manhattan washes away from Bangladesh's shores.
- Extreme weather events have also increased, with heatwaves, tropical cyclones, floods and droughts becoming more common.
- Last month, the government decided to import four lakh tonnes of rice to avert any food shortages ahead of the flood season.
The Bigger Picture:
- Once famed as the land of rivers and tributaries, most water bodies have been captured or polluted by repeat offenders. In June this year, Transparency International Bangladesh accused one company of covering around 24 acres of the river with sand and soil, obstructing its natural flow.
- The World Bank estimates that Bangladesh loses an average of $1 billion annually due to cyclones alone.
- Changing temperatures are also damaging the coastal rice production areas. The total rice production in Bangladesh is projected to be reduced every year by 7.4% until 2050.
- Over the last decade, on average, nearly 7,00,000 Bangladeshis were displaced each year by natural disasters, according to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre.
- It has been estimated that by 2050, one in every seven people in Bangladesh will be displaced by climate change.
- With a projected 50cm rise in sea level, Bangladesh may lose approximately 11% of its land by 2050. Some scientists project a five-to-six-foot rise by 2100.
- Climate change has also put major cities at risk of severe outbreaks of waterborne diseases. The scourge of dengue, which has plagued the capital since 2019, is projected to worsen as the city's population density continues to increase.
The Bottom Line:
Although Bangladesh has long been affected by climate change, the first time climate-relevant allocations appeared in the national budget was in 2018. However, according to a study by the Centre for Policy Dialogue, in the budget for FY26, climate-relevant budget allocation stands at about 10% of the total budget, reflecting a 2.42% decrease from the proposed budget of FY25.
Unless the government becomes serious about addressing climate change, both by financing adaptation activities and going hard on criminal offenders, the situation can only worsen.
Why did Patwary vow to stop peaceful elections?
In the presence of BNP and Jamaat leaders, National Citizens Party (NCP) Chief Coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary said the 13th national election cannot be held in February next year without reforms.
He also said that if the polls were to be held, then "the government must return the lives of my brothers who were killed in the uprising".
Why it matters:
- Patwary's allegations that the election is being planned under the same "fascist" constitution and system have stirred controversy, coming a week after Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus announced that the polls would be held in February.
- It also drew comparisons to previous attempts to derail a caretaker government's attempt to smoothly transfer power.
- Although any party can choose not to participate in polls and lead boycotts, outright threatening an election stands in stark contrast to democratic principles.
The Bigger Picture
However, Patwari did have a reason for his outburst.
- Since the July Uprising, the demand from the people about reforms has been loud and clear.
- A survey by the BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD) found that 51% wanted comprehensive reforms before the election and 17% supported holding polls only after urgent reforms.
- There has also been much resentment from various quarters about the fact that meaningful reforms have yet to be carried out.
- While presenting the findings of that BIGD survey, speakers also said politicians' claims that the general public does not understand reforms are incorrect, calling it a narrative established by political leaders to keep ordinary citizens away from the process.
How did other political leaders react?
- BNP Standing Committee member AZM Zahid Hossain said the NCP leader's words were reminiscent of "the same behaviour and rhetoric once used by dictatorship".
- Ruhin Hossain Prince, general secretary of the Communist Party of Bangladesh, said "a certain quarter" wants to block the election, adding that no one will take their statements into consideration.
- BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said, "Yesterday [Monday], an NCP leader boldly said that elections would not be held in February. I saw in his speech the tone in which Hasina used to speak. We found another tone of authoritarian rule, the attitude of an authoritarian ruler, in your speech."
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