Climate Variability in Bangladesh

Climate Variability in Bangladesh

AHSAN UDDIN AHMEDWater and Environment Division

Bangladesh Unnayan Parishad (BUP)

Workshop on Regional Climate Model

Bangladesh is highly sensitive to climate variability.

Climate is tropical in nature.

Influenced heavily by monsoon.

There is high seasonal variability

Too much water in monsoon

Too little water in the dry season

ICTP, Trieste, May 26 - June 6

There is distinct spatial variability.

Extreme weather events

CLIMATE

In a large part of the region summer monsoon contributes about 80% of the annual rainfall. The monsoon looses its intensity as it advances from the Bay of Bengal towards Pakistan along an east-to-west pathway.


Onset of monsoon occurs in Bangladesh on the first week of June, while it is withdrawn on the first week of October.


Bangladesh occupies only about 7% of the combined GBM catchment area.

It, however, has to drain over 92% of all water generated within the combined catchment area. About 80% of all available rainfall

runoff is occurring between June and October, peaking in July.





Too much water in monsoon months, on which the country has no control, causes frequent floods.

Three of the worst floods of the past century occurred during the last quarter of the century.

The mega-flood event of 1998 inundated about 70% of the landmass for about 68 days!

Devastating frequent flood events is one of the major causes of underdevelopment.



There exists a marked spatial distribution of available monsoon.

The western parts are drier and susceptible to drought.

The livelihood of the large population depend predominantly on the availability of adequate quantities of water at proper time.

Maintaining people’s livelihood has become difficult in recent years due to increases in population and uncertainty concerning availability of water.

Climate change and its adverse impacts will cause increased hardships for the people of the region.

Vulnerability = ƒ(Impacts + Adaptation)





BUP is involved in policy research on issues relating to water resources of the country.

It has also contributed to the IPCC WG-II activities in TAR.

Climate Change issues are very much in our research agenda.

We need to know what is happening with the climate and how is it changing. That is why we need to be associated with WG-I activities.

The science must show ways towards devising policies regarding adaptation.

Thank you so much

Climate Variability in Bangladesh

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