CLIMATE CHANGE AND ROLE OF WATER RESOURCES

ENGINEER

Climate is the term where weather of a large area is observed over a long time mainly in 10 to 20
years. And the term climate change refers to the change in climate whether due to natural variabilities
or due to human activities. It mainly refers to the long-term shift in temperature, weather parameters,
rainfall etc. it changes the weather pattern of a country or a region.

CAUSES OF CLIMATE CHANGE-

Climate change can be cause of natural influences or a side effect of human activity. Humans
make use of natural resources and sometimes modify these resources for their living or
economical purpose. These may include-
 Deforestation,
 Creating many structures above or under river
 Disposing of sewage and wastage in the river and lake and thus polluting water
 Generating electricity by burning fossil fuels which reduces carbon dioxide and many harmful
gases which gradually destroys the Ozon layer and causes global warming which later effects in
climate
 Increase in using transportation is also one of the reasons for global change in weather

Some natural reasons for climate change are

 Astronomical causes which include sunspot activities and Millankovitch oscillation
 Volcanism is another cause of climate change which throw up loads of aerosol in the
atmosphere.
 Variation in ocean current is also a natural cause for climate change.

IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE IN NATURE-

The main impact of climate change is natural disaster and natural calamities. Due to huge
change in weather and natural calamities existence of many living creatures are on threat as well as it
effects the human lifestyle. Some natural impacts on climate change are-

 Global warming and change in seasonal activities

 Increase in salinity and mean sea level of oceans
 Increase in heavy rainfall which will the cause of frequent floods
 It causes droughts in dry season
 Climate change will affect the flow of river and thus will cause river bank erosion
 Extinction of many wild animals and plants
 IMPACT IN HUMAN LIVES-
As climate change impacts the nature and human and other creatures depends on nature, it will
surely affect the livelihood of living beings. Some affect of climate change in human lives are-

 Agricultural will be the most affected area in this region. As agriculture depends fully on
nature, climate change will cause a huge impact on it.
 As climate change affects agriculture vastly and our food cycle depends on agriculture,
ensuring food security will be very difficult.
 Tropical cyclone, tornado and flow tide will cause great damage in economic system,
habitation of humans and will cause huge famine in a country or a region.
 Human health will be further affected due to lack of pure drinking water or of
dehydration. Many fungal infections will spread because of change in weather and
climate.
Etc.

CLIMATE CHANGE AND WATER RESOURCE-

Bangladesh is one of the most climate vulnerable countries in the world. Floods, cyclones, tornado,
droughts, storm surges etc. are frequently observed in our country according to WARPO 2005.As
Bangladesh is a riverine country, the impact of climate change in water will hugely affect the human
lives and creatures. Different climate models tend to show increased precipitation, particularly during
the monsoon season which will contribute to increased precipitation and runoff. A research show that
2% of global warming can cause 10% o precipitation of water which will increase the runoff of a river. As
we can see in our country flood is now a common natural disaster in our country and one fifth of the
country is flooded every year because of heavy rainfall. The fact that in recent years this frequency and
intensity is increasing day by day. Moreover, rise in sea level in seen due to climate change. It is
predicted that by 2030 to 2050 the sea water level will rise at least 30cm to 50cm respectively and the
whole country will submerge under sea if no cautions are taken. From the above information we can see
that climate change creates a huge impact on water resources of our country, so there is a significant
role of water resources engineer in preventing climate change.

ROLE OF WATER RESOURCE ENGINEER IN CLIMATE CHANGE-

Water and climate are dependent on each other correspondingly. So, a water resources
engineer plays a vital role in climate change.
 A water resource engineer can keep track of climate and weather change in a specific region or
place with the help of GIS remote sensing system.
 Can research in climatology and hence try to come with some solutions of some problems.
 While designing any hydraulic structure, it is their duty to keep the side effects of natural flow as
low as possible.
 They can research in purification of water
 They can come up with ideas in proper flood management.
 Search for alternative source instead of excavating ground water Etc.
Bangladesh is highly vulnerable to climate change and water resources sector is mostly affected by
climate change. Though many steps said to be taken to reduce the impact and effect of climate
change but works are still not in progress. The survival of the future generation will depend on how
people will accommodate with climate change now and try to reduce the impact and after effects of
it. So, people should work together in this huge natural change and thus make the future safe.