Dhaka: Disaster Management and Relief Adviser Faruk E Azam, Bir Protik, today emphasized the critical need for relevant organizations to develop advanced forecasting systems to prevent disaster-related fatalities. He highlighted the importance of proactive investment in disaster resilience over post-disaster repairs, during his speech at the 'National Roadmap Promotion Workshop on Early Warning for All' held at the BTRC Bhaban Auditorium in Agargaon.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Faruk underscored that building disaster resilience in advance is more beneficial and sustainable for the public and the country's socio-economic development. He pointed out that the Early Warning for all Roadmap plays a significant role in public interest, advocating for its importance.
Presiding over the event was Disaster Management and Relief Secretary Md Mostafizur Rahman. Other notable attendees included Swedish Ambassador to Bangladesh Nicolas Weeks, Chairman of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission Major General (Retd) Md. Emdad ul Bari, and Secretary General of the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society Kabir Md. Ashraf Alam.
Faruk E Azam stressed that as Bangladesh is susceptible to disasters, it is imperative for the government, private entities, and the general populace to be prepared to minimize the loss of lives due to both natural and human-induced events. He recalled the catastrophic cyclone and tidal wave of 1970, which claimed the lives of approximately five lakh people overnight, highlighting the absence of modern forecasting systems at the time.
Reflecting on past disasters, Faruk expressed regret over the insufficient progress in domestic research and technological innovation since the calamities of 1970 and 1991. However, he noted the current availability of satellite-based weather models, Doppler radar, flash-flood models, artificial intelligence-based forecasts, and mobile-based warnings, which now provide disaster-related information across various regions, including coastal, hilly, urban, and river erosion-prone areas.