Effective warning system can reduce casualties and property losses in Bangladesh, which is vulnerable to natural disasters like flood, cyclone and tidal surge, officials said here Sunday.
Golam Kibria, an official of the Food and Disaster Management Ministry, said inadequate emergency programs might be one of the reasons of the huge casualties in Myanmar caused by tropical cyclone Nargis on May 3.
"Luckily Bangladesh escaped the wrath of Nargis as it changed its course at the last moment," he said.
Kibria said although Nargis did not finally strike Bangladesh, the local administrations were told to keep alert and to make preparation for evacuation.
Bangladesh was severely struck by Cyclone Sidr on Nov. 15 last year causing huge damage to life and property. Official figures showed 3,363 were dead and 871 missing after the cyclone hit the country's southwestern coastal belt with a wind speed of 240kph.
Kibria said the casualties could have been much higher if the cyclone preparedness programs and the cyclone warning systems were not in place.
Bangladesh, located in the Ganges Delta, experienced tragic loss of life, crops and property in 1970 and 1991 when being attacked by devastating cyclones.
After 1970, the country started building cyclone shelters in coastal belt and improving the weather signaling system. After 1991 cyclone and tidal surge that left 138,000 people dead, the Bangladeshi government with the help of donors strengthened the cyclone preparedness program.
Fazlul Wahab, director of Cyclone Preparedness Program (CPP), said around 42,000 volunteers are mobilized across the country's coastal belt in this program. They are equipped with mega phones and communication system so that they can inform the coastal people about any cyclone and organize evacuation within 12 hours before any cyclone hit the country.
Food and Disaster Ministry officials said presently that there were 2033 cyclone shelters in the coastal belt. After the cyclone Sidr, the government has planned to build 2000 more cyclone shelters by 2015 with the help of donors.
Besides, 507 primary school buildings in the coastal districts are now being upgraded to cyclone shelters,
Wahab said Bangladesh has also signed meteorological data exchange agreements with many countries in Asia-Pacific region forgetting information in advance.
Source:Xinhua
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