Shamiran Biswas

The burning rays of the sun are like fire. The city, village, road, road and highway are not giving any concessions to express their heat energy. The steep path is like burning heat! This life running in pursuit of livelihood is like an octave! In the past few days, fauna has also been sweltering in the mild-to-severe heat wave across the country. There is fire in the air. The first heat wave of the season broke all the records of the current season.

The temperature has been rising in Chuadanga for several days. Since now, the highest temperature record has been recorded in this border district. The heat of the temperature spread above 42 degrees Celsius - which is very intense heat! Because of this, the pitch of the road is melting somewhere! Other districts of the country are also burning.

41-degree intense heat is flowing in the west-south region. Other districts of the country are also burning due to extreme heat flow. Meanwhile, many people are becoming unconscious as they cannot bear the extreme heat. There are various diseases and health problems. People's life is getting disrupted due to intense heat. No one leaves the house unless necessary. Many are going out with umbrellas. Working people have suffered the most in summer. According to the Meteorological Office, the intensity of heat may increase further across the country.

In our country, if the temperature of a region is maximum 36 degrees Celsius, it is considered as mild burn. A moderate burn is considered when the temperature exceeds 38 degrees Celsius. And if the temperature exceeds 40 degrees Celsius, it is considered that there is a severe fire. In Dhaka, various parts of the country including Chuadanga and Jessohar are currently experiencing intense wildfires.

Today the entire country including our beloved city of Dhaka is sorely lacking in lush green open spaces. But this is not the case abroad. There ample provision is made for parks and wilderness during urban planning. So if man wants to live, he has to save the neighboring tree of his primitive life - Tarulata. In every country of the world, scientists have raised the question, in order to escape from environmental pollution, there is a need for tree planting to return to the green shade of trees and trees.
Dhaka is a city of heritage. Four hundred years old Dhaka is said to be one of the educational, cultural and commercial cities of South Asia. 1 crore 41 lakh people live in this city of 134 square miles. Today the population is much more. It is believed to be close to 2 crores. It is said to be one of the most densely populated cities in the world with 1 lakh 15 thousand people living per square mile. The World Bank says the population will reach 3.5 million by 2035. As a result of the increase in population, houses, businesses, roads, schools and colleges are being built by cutting down trees, causing adverse effects on the environment. The amount of green is decreasing.

3 researchers from Japan's Kyoto and Hokkaido University researched the green area of Dhaka city, according to them, the green area of Dhaka was 12% in 1995, 8% in 2015 and not more than 6-7% at present. In Dhaka, only a small amount of the trees that are cut are planted. The temperature of Dhaka is increasing as a result of tree killing. This same picture prevails everywhere in Bangladesh.

Schools and colleges have been declared closed till April 27 due to intense heat. School assemblies have been ordered to be closed during extreme heat. Live in the light and heat of the fire. In the history of the country, there is no record of temperature across such a large area! Even today, the temperature in Dhaka can exceed 40 degrees. Dhaka's temperature is 5 degrees higher than Saudi Arabia. Water is not rising in hundreds of tube wells in Jhenaidah during intense heat wave. The temperature in May will be more dangerous, the maximum can be 44 degrees. This fire of nature has increased the intense heat; The use of AC has increased tremendously in all over the country legal and illegal unplanned brick kilns, mills factories, shopping malls, shops markets, hotels motels, homes, in cities and urban areas. At the same time, unplanned legal and illegal batteries, CNG diesel, petrol driven vehicles, rickshaws, auto rickshaws, various vehicles, every activity of which has an active impact on temperature rise, have increased in leaps and bounds.

Besides, the use of various electronic devices in our daily life is constantly spreading heat. There is a grand festival of river drains, canal bills, ponds, filling up across the country! These activities are responsible for today's undesired extreme heat flow. Solving this problem will be difficult and challenging without saving our daily activities. It will be difficult to improve this overall condition by planting trees alone. Climate change crises have also threatened the existence of beneficial crop insects. Again this problem has been made more evident by indiscriminate application of chemicals and pesticides in agriculture. As a result, these unwanted pesticides are added to the crop soil, increasing soil carbon emissions; Due to which the surface temperature is increasing day by day. Be careful!!! A severe heat wave is going on all over the country; along with it, the wind is blowing. During this time the fire risk increases to a great extent. Also, be careful when using electrical equipment. Be careful, be safe.
Chief Heat Officer Bushra said that they are running 'heat awareness campaign' regularly to save everyone from this situation. According to him, it is necessary to plant more trees to reduce the temperature in Dhaka and surrounding areas. He said, we plan to plant 2 lakh trees along the road here. Not only should trees be planted, they should also be properly maintained. Urban afforestation is very important. We have also looked into greening the vacant and abandoned spaces here. We need more parks and green spaces here. As the temperature will decrease, various animals including birds will also return. The Chief Heat Officer urged the city dwellers to deal with the situation through individual initiatives. Bushra said, if we ourselves are aware of intense pressure. If we keep things like water bottle, hat, fan, umbrella in our bag before leaving home, then we can get a lot of security.

Risk of disaster in agriculture sector in Dabdah and actions to be taken:

The agricultural sector of the country is facing disaster due to intense heat. Day by day the temperature is increasing across the country. A temperature of more than 35 degrees is unbearable for rice, the temperature of 42 degrees Celsius is going on in the country! which is one for overall rice production and food security

Big obstacle! Apart from paddy, other crops like mango, jackfruit, litchi and cotton are being damaged in this extreme heat. Corn and soybean production are also threatened.
Crop management in severe heat:
Heat shock (heat damage) or hot air (35°C+) in boro rice can cause the rice to become shriveled. Therefore, 2-3 inches of water should be maintained in the land from panicle stage of rice to flowering stage. Adequate irrigation (every 7 to 10 days) should be provided at the base of mango, kathal and litchi plants. If necessary, water should be sprayed on the branches of the tree. Irrigation can be done by flood system if necessary. This will reduce fruit drop and increase yield. Besides, mulching can be given at the base of the plant after irrigation to retain the sap in the soil.

Management of vegetable crops under severe heat:

In the land of fruits and leafy vegetables, in the next one week, two to three irrigations should be done depending on the type of soil. Organic fertilizers have high water holding capacity, so organic fertilizers should be applied. Mulching and irrigation should be ensured to protect fruit and vegetable seedlings from heat flow damage. Local agriculture department should be consulted to resolve crop damage due to ongoing heat flow.

Livestock management in extreme heat:

Cattle, poultry house should be kept cool to bear the heat flow stress of livestock. Cattle should be bathed or drenched several times a day. Cattle should be fed water mixed with extra salt, vitamin C and glucose etc. Cattle should be kept under trees or natural shade during this period of heat without being confined indoors. Cattle should be allowed to eat green grass instead of dry hay. Food should be reduced in extreme heat. Cattle should avoid deworming, vaccination or animal transport during extreme heat. In case of undesirable situation, the local livestock officer should be contacted.

Management to save fish resources in extreme heat:

A relatively shallow pond should be filled with new water to at least 5 feet deep so that the bottom water is somewhat cooler and the fish can live there. Shade can be provided in the pond by planting gourd plants in the water on the south bank of the pond. 10% of the total area of the pond can be fenced with bamboo/coconut leaves. At least 5 feet or more water level should be maintained by supplying water from deep tube wells during sunny hours i.e. from 12 noon to 3 pm. In the morning, 200-250 grams of salt or 100 grams of wet saline can be sprinkled in the pond. Oxygen supply should be arranged by running the aerator/blower/machine (fountains or rotating the pond water to help the oxygen in the air to mix in the water quickly) at night or sprinkle oxygen tablets at the rate of 10 grams per hundred in the pond. The supply of food to the pond should be reduced, or if necessary, temporarily closed until the pond water has cooled down to normal. Food should be given sparingly in the morning and evening. Vitamin-C mixed (7-8 gm/kg diet) should be fed with food till the temperature normalizes. At this time the transfer of fish/ fry should be stopped during the day or should be done with extreme caution. For the past few days, a severe thunderstorm has been sweeping over Bangladesh. So let us all be careful and warn others.

The writer is a, Shamiran Biswas, Agriculture and Environment Specialist, Dhaka.