Dhaka Saturday, Mar 25, 2023
Environment
Bangladesh has experienced heatwaves and the lowest rainfall in four decades during the monsoon this year – a change in the weather condition that has affected paddy cultivation. As sizzling heat has continued in autumn to bake the citizens with power cuts worsening the situation amid the heat, the abnormal weather patterns have delayed the Aman season of paddy cultivation. The Department of Agricultural Extension is hoping to meet the... » 
Dhaka’s air quality continues to be in the ‘moderate’ zone, all thanks to intermittent monsoon showers. With an air quality index (AQI) score of 72 at 8.38 am Thursday, the densely populated metropolis ranked 19th in the list of world cities with the worst air quality. Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh, Kuwait’s Kuwait City and Pakistan’s Lahore occupied the first three spots in the list, with AQI scores of 204, 162 and... » 
Water levels at 14 river stations monitored by Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) have marked rise while 81 stations recorded fall. Among the 109 monitored river stations, three have been registered steady and water level at one station is flowing above the danger level, a bulletin issued by the FFWC said on Sunday afternoon. Except Teesta, all the major rivers of the country are in falling trend, the FFWC... » 
About 7.2 million people have been severely affected following devastating flash floods which began in May with a second wave starting on June 15 in nine northeastern districts of Bangladesh, said a statement from the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh, reports UNB. The affected districts are Sylhet, Sunamganj, Moulvibazar, Habiganj, Kishoreganj, Netrakona, Brahmanbaria, Mymensingh and Sherpur. Of them, Sylhet, Sunamganj, Moulivazar, Habiganj and Netrakona are the most affected. According... » 
People of the northern and northeastern districts of Bangladesh are fearing a second spell of floods as major rivers continue swelling amid torrential rain and onrush of water from upstream. “Both northern and northeastern parts of Bangladesh this year witnessed severe flooding, which is the worst one since 2004…. The devastating flood started on June 15 and it was getting improving trend after a weeklong wrath of the deluge,” an... »
Dhaka is the most noise polluted city in the world, according to the recent Annual Frontier Report, 2022 published by the United Nations Environment Programme. Moradabad in India’s Uttar Pradesh is the second-most noise polluted city globally, the Times of India reported on Sunday. Moradabad recorded noise pollution of 114 decibels at its highest in 2021 while Dhaka had a noise pollution of 119 dB. Islamabad is third, with maximum... »
The price of permits in the European Union’s carbon market closed at a record high above 96 euros on Friday, with analysts expecting the symbolic 100 euro level could soon be breached. Known as the EU emissions trading system (ETS), Europe’s carbon market compels factories, power plants and airlines to pay for each tonne of CO2 they emit – the higher the permit price, the greater the cost of producing... » 
Gazipur has the most polluted air out of 64 districts in Bangladesh and Madaripur the least, found a recent study. The permissible limit set by the Department of Environment for fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) — which refers to the tiny particles or droplets in the air that reduce visibility and cause the air to appear hazy when levels are elevated — is 65 micrograms per cubic metre. Gazipur’s PM... » 
There’s new evidence, collected from orbiting satellites, that oil and gas companies are routinely venting huge amounts of methane into the air. Methane is the main ingredient in natural gas, the fuel. It’s also a powerful greenhouse gas, second only to carbon dioxide in its warming impact. And Thomas Lauvaux, a researcher with the Laboratory of Climate and Environmental Sciences, in France, says that there’s been a persistent discrepancy between... » 
Glasgow’s council leader has insisted the city is ready for the COP26 conference – but “with caveats”. Susan Aitken denied the city was a mess and said cleansing staff were “working round the clock” for the UN summit. In a meeting with the Scottish Affairs Committee, she addressed accusations that bins were overflowing and rubbish collectors had suffered rat attacks. The SNP councillor told MPs that other cities were dirtier... »