M K Alam; Dbarta24 – Sri Lanka is enduring severe drought conditions driven by El Niño, affecting more than 115,000 people across seven districts and forcing authorities to supply drinking water to over 34,000 families.
With over 8,000 acres of farmland damaged, the Sri Lankan government has allocated nearly 3 billion rupees in compensation.
Experts warn that this crisis in South Asia serves as an urgent alarm for Bangladesh, where erratic weather patterns are already threatening agricultural production.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) predicts that El Niño could intensify, extending its impact into early next year.
Recent climate events in Bangladesh have already disrupted traditional farming calendars, marked by severe dry spells followed by sudden torrential rains, heatwaves, and monsoon rainfall deficits.
Forecasts warn that ocean temperatures could exceed historical norms, making upcoming years exceptionally hot and exposing Bangladesh to prolonged droughts, flash floods, and severe irrigation shortages.
The primary concern for Bangladesh revolves around the upcoming Boro rice season, which accounts for roughly 55% of the nation’s total annual rice production of 21.3 million tonnes.
Because Boro is a dry-season crop heavily reliant on irrigation, rising temperatures and irregular rainfall will increase water demand while depleting groundwater tables.
Experts from the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) warn that heatwaves during the April flowering stage—exceeding 35°C during the day or 28°C at night—can cause spikelet sterility, leading to significant yield losses.
Additionally, late-stage Aman rice and winter crops like potatoes, onions, wheat, and mustard face heightened risks from high soil moisture loss and unseasonably warm winters.
This climate exposure follows devastating agricultural losses earlier this year.
Extreme weather events between late April and May caused intense flooding across seven haor districts, destroying nearly 50,000 hectares of crops and over 210,000 tonnes of Boro rice, affecting more than 236,000 farmers.
Subsequent July floods damaged an additional 82,000 hectares of farmland, including Aus rice and Aman seedbeds.
Agricultural experts stress that reactive compensation is insufficient and call for structured, proactive measures.
Recommendations include shifting planting schedules, deploying heat-tolerant and short-duration crop varieties, utilizing Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) irrigation techniques, and integrating real-time weather forecasts into field advice.
“We have no control over the climate,” said Md. Abdur Rahim, Director General of the Department of Agricultural Extension. “Our focus is on minimizing losses.
We are encouraging farmers in flood-prone haor regions to cultivate BRRI Dhan-118, an early-maturing variety harvested 10 to 15 days ahead of conventional rice, alongside issuing coordinated advisories during impending weather risks.