Three decades ago, from mid June to mid August was rainy season. Based on this, farmers cultivated Ropa Aman and other crops at the coastal area. Now the situation has almost changed. Recent published a report of World Bank based on climate change showed that heat will increase and rain will decrease at the rainy season in Bangladesh. Heavy rain fall will happen in a very short time. Draught will be seen several times and it will increase in south- west area of the country. These kinds of draught might be seen regularly. The number of thunder will increase. Therefore, rain dependent crops production will decrease. Water flow is higher at the storm and flood than before. As a result, main crops Boro and Aman production will be hampered. These signs have already been seen in Potuakhali, Barguna, Bhola, Firozpur, Barishal, Zalakathi and southern coastal area.
A few years ago, slightly rain fall happened at Magh-Falgun in this region. The cold was so severe but rain was not seen for seasonal crops. This year rain fall did not happen in the Bangla months, Baisakh- Joistha, that is, April- May- June. Even at the full monsoon, in the months, July- August, sufficient rain fall did not occur.
Unnatural incident is found analysing the data of Bangladesh Water Development Board of Patuakhali and Barguna. Cyclone Mahasen attacked Patua khali coastal area on 16 May this year. As a result, 330 mm rainfall occurred within 24 hours in Barguna. In Patuakhali, the amount of rain was almost 400mm. After that, rain was not seen for many days. Rather, draught and heat were severe in southern coastal area. Salinity increased in the water of rivers. As a result, farmers could not cultivate Ropa Aman.
Monsoon rain has decreased, as found in last few years’ information. In 2007, from July to September, the amount of rainfall was 1,836mm in Patakhali and Borguna. At the same time in 2008, the amount of rainfall increased to 1,921mm. In 2009, it dropped off at 1280mm. It further declined in 2010 and the amount was 912mm. In 2011, the amount of rainfall increased at 1,712mm but again, it decreased in 2012 comparing with the previous year at 1066.
Prodip Kumar Chatterjee, an officer of Kalapara weather office of Patuakhali informed that, in each month of rainy season, the average amount of rainfall is 515mm, which is low from last three or four decades. The variation in rainfall is seen across the entire Bangladesh although the tides of the rivers of southern coastal area are seen natural. According to the data of meter gaze branch of water development board of Barguna and Patuakhali, the highest tide of rivers in Barguna and Patuakhali were 3.45 metres. In 2005, it increased to 3.51 metres. All of a sudden, the height of the tide decreased in 2006 and it reached the height of 2.96 meters. In 2007, during the cyclone SIDR, the height of the tide reached 4.22 metres. In 2009, tidal bore were raised into 3.65 meters by the cyclone AILA. This year on May 16, the tidal bore rose to 3.36 meters in cyclone Mahasen.
It has been evident that every year sea level rises due to global warming. A joint research of Bangladesh and Germany has given a report that last 300 years, the average rate of the rise of sea level is about 0.8 metre melting ice. As a result, the lands of the coastal area went under the water of 1.2-5.2 meters every year. In future, sea level may rise 7mm melting ice. As a result, coastal area may go under water from 3.3 to 8.9 millimetres. What would be more upsetting is that the warmth would rise and rain would become imbalanced.
In this regard, AKM Mostofa Zaman, Dean, faculty of Disaster Management, Patuakhali University of Science and Technical said that an aspect of climate change is the change of the rain during the monsoon. The amount of rainfall has declined in an alarming level and the warmth is rising. As a result, many natural calamities like cyclone, flood, and tidal bore have become evident regularly. It has further accelerated long lasting submerged water, inability of the production of crops and saltiness. Thus, it is highly necessary to take long-term initiatives to confront the curse of untoward climate change. Otherwise, the life in the coastal area will lose its normalcy that will put the lives of people living there into the tide of peril.
Ten-year-old Shondesh has seen his home drown under water at least thrice and have moved from one char to another every time with his parents. In Gaibandha, Shondesh helps his parents with the little bit of farming that is available during the good seasons until there is another flood sweeping away their home. But that also goes to say that Shondesh has no education, there is no school in the small char habitat. In a four-member family of which his father is the breadwinner, Shondesh’s future unfortunately will be that of the scores of underprivileged and malnourished children in Bangladesh. A new study by a group of scientists at Stockholm in September revealed that climate change will largely affect children in the 10 most vulnerable countries including Bangladesh, which together has 620 million children below 18. Children will suffer the brunt in the forms of health problems, malnutrition and migration, says the study. According to Unicef, 25 million more children will suffer malnourishment because of climate change and a further 100 million will be suffer food insecurity, where they and their families are on the verge of running out of stock. In the 10 countries, children among the 150-200 million people feared to become homeless because of climate change will suffer more than adults because of their relative lack of resources and higher vulnerability to disease. Heat waves will become more intense and frequent under climate change, which will trigger heatstroke among babies and small children. Children find it difficult to regulate body heat. 
According to Jana Udyag – an environmental organisation based in Chittagong – nearly 46 per cent children in the rural parts of Bangladesh help their families by working in agriculture, looking after cattle and household work. This limits the prospects of the country – of 160-million people – to move up the economic ladder. Children therefore, remain vulnerable to malnutrition, lack of education and health related diseases. ‘Pure water is not available at the time of flood. Children become ill from different types of diseases like diarrhea, dengue and malaria,’ says Dr Helal Uddin Ahmed, an assistant professor of National Institute of Mental Health. The effects on children can be realised from the devastation of cyclone Aila in 2009. The cyclone destroyed 275 schools and partially damaged 1942 schools in Bangladesh. Reports stated that nearly 40 lakh people suffered in ‘Aila’ and children had to leave there homes with their parents to take shelter on embankments of rivers. The laws of Bangladesh which are for preventing natural calamity and climate change is not sufficient for saving children. It is important to emphasise on the management of protection taken at the time of natural calamity. These are to respond immediately to protect lives and wealth by involving local government to build infrastructure, training, advocacy, and awareness etc. The National Work Plan for Protecting Natural Calamity 2010 does not have any recommendation to protect children from the effects of climatic change. Unicef argues that, although children are more vulnerable to the effects of global warming, they have been largely left out of the debate. ‘We are hurtling towards a future where the gains being made for the world’s children are threatened and their health, wellbeing, livelihoods and survival are compromised … despite being the least responsible for the causes,’ David Bull, Unicef’s UK executive director was quoted by the Guardian. ‘We need to listen to them.’ The Guardian report states that children born last year will come of age in 2030, by which time the effects of climate change in the form of an increase in droughts, floods and storms are likely to be more in evidence. Climate change experts suggest an integrated effort involving economic and infrastructural preparedness to protect children, so that, in the countries are prepared to deal with the aftershocks of natural disasters. Bangladesh is considered the most vulnerable country exposed to the adverse effects of climate change in the foreseeable future. The country has been appreciated for being the most resilient to disasters. As the world prepares to meet at the 19th Conference of Parties on November 22 in Poland, disbursement of green climate fund will be crucial for policymakers to press and allocate on the child protection.
