Satellites For Containing Disaster

Use of satellites and pulse doppler rudder Save lives and minimize damage later.

Flash flood has caused great damage to the farmers of haor(low lying water bodies) areas. Unusual precipitation and water flows from the upstream inundate paddy fields. A large part of the winter crop has yet to be harvested. News paper reports put the damage toll as low as 10000 hectares to as high as 54000 hectares in Sunamganj and Bagerhat. Affected districts include Sunamganj,Moulovibazar,Sylhet,Comilla and Bagerhat.But the official estimate of the damage is much lower (See "Floodwaters swallo haor harvest in Sunamganj, leaving farmers counting losses", by Debashish Debu, Daily Business Standard, April 30,2026,https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/floodwaters-swallow-haor-harvest-sunamganj-leaving-farmers-counting-losses-1425466).

This flash flood is not new to Bangladeshis in the April-June period. Bangladesh is pretty familiar with such flash floods.Recurrence of such calamities lays bare failure in preparation. The damage is not only to crops; hidden losses are also there.

Agricultural inputs like fertilizers, irrigation, labor were employed in the cultivation process. Fertilizers are heavily subsidized. Since winter crops depend on irrigation, subsidized electricity and diesel were also used in the Boro or winter paddy cultivation. Gone are the subsidized inputs with the winter crops.

Many farmers also borrowed heavily from relatives, money lenders and microfinance institutions. The lent money on the submerged crops now becomes bad. The money cannot be recuperated and it will affect credit distribution next year,curtailing the amount of credit for distribution and narrowing the scope of agriculture and nonagricultural activities in the rural area.

The flash flood also pushed many farmer below the poverty line. Govt now has to arrange resources for them to fight the poverty till the next harvest, sacrificing other priority areas. The incidence of urban bound migration is also likely to rise, worsening further the urban poverty.

There are means to contain the damages from flash flood. Pulse Doppler rudder and remote sensing electro optical satellite are some options. Employing Pulse Doppler rudder near mountainous region could give localize early warning,saving lives and crops. Bangladesh depends on foreign satellites for meteorological data. The data could take 24 hours or more time to reach, rendering the meteorological forecast useless. Having our own remote sensing satellites is the solution. Pakistan recently put into orbit three remote sensing satellites. The constellation is designed to “support disaster response, land management, agricultural monitoring, environmental security, and increasingly sophisticated national surveillance requirements"(see "Pakistan Launches PRSC EO3 Satellite From China,Strengthening Strategic ISR,Space Surveillance and National Security Power", Defence Security Asia,April 26,2026, https://defencesecurityasia.com/en/pakistan-prsc-eo3-satellite-launch-china-isr-space-surveillance-strategic-security/). As Bangladesh houses several flood plains and flash flood becomes regular phenomenon, having our own remote sensing electro-optical satellite has become a necessity. Pakistani SUPARCO designed and built the satellites at its Satellite Research and Development Center. In Bangladesh, Space Research and Remote Sensing Organization(SPARRSO ) could set up similar satellite manufacturing facility and spearhead building of remote sensing satellites. Timely data from such satellites will help building correct modeling, leading to accurate forecast and minimize the damage.

It is a pity we spend billions of Taka on roads and embankments meant to be washed away every year, but we never allocate a tiny fraction of those spendings for some homebuilt satellites. The 2024 and 2026 disasters call for immediate use of Pulse Doppler rudder and remote sensing satellites for early preparedness and damage minimization in the event of recurring natural calamities.

La Semaine Dernière A Mes Yeux

(25 avril --- 01 mai)

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Ma Semaine Gastronomique

Date	Petit déjeuner	Déjeuner	Dîner	Snacks,Sucreries,Boissons et Fritures
25	Pain,Gourde serpent,Œuf	Riz,Purée de pomme de terre,Pama croaker,Soupe aux lentilles	Riz,Soupe aux lentilles,Petit poisson,Purée de pomme de terre,Purée de cumin,Purée de curcuma	Pomme,Puri
26	Pain,Œuf	Riz,Poulet,Soupe aux lentilles	Riz,Lait,Banane	Pomme,Pois chiches,Riz gonflé
27	Pain,Œuf,Yardlong beans	Riz,Sec ruban avec haricot rouge,Yardlong beans	Riz,Sec ruban avec haricot rouge,Yardlong beans	Pomme,Patate douce
28	Pain,Gourde serpent,Banane	Riz,Petit poissons,Gourde blanche	Riz,Sec ruban avec haricot rouge,Yardlong beans	Pomme,Sucreries

Containing The Power Outage

Fewer working days and work during day Lower peak demand and end political fray.

Power outage has become a chronic problem amid scorching summer heat. Situation is worst in the villages. Dhaka dwellers have not yet bear the brunt of 'load management'. In the rural areas, electricity supply does not match the demand, which is much higher in summer days. Rural Electrification Board (REB), the organization in charge of supplying electricity in rural areas, does not get as much electricity as it needed from public distribution bodies. According to a news report by Daily Prothom Alo, Mymensing got 48% ,Rongpur got 40% and Khulna got 39% less electricity than what they needed on Tuesday( see "Barchhey Loadshedding,Bhoganti Beshi Gram E(Outage On The Rise,Villages Suffer Most)" by Mohiuddin, Daily Prothom Alo ,p 1,April 23,2026).

Govt furnished data shows country's peak electricity demand is 16000 megawatts while electricity generation is 14126 megawatts(see "Dhaka to face 110MW load shedding on trial basis to ensure irrigation supply: State minister", The Business Standard,April 23,2026,https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/energy/dhaka-face-110mw-load-shedding-trial-basis-ensure-irrigation-supply-state-minister). Summer days are not over. Meteorologists fear several heat waves during this summer season. That means electricity consumption will rise and so will the peak demand. Since generation faces hurdles, there will be more power outage. And rural areas face most of the crisis.

But the trouble free days of Dhaka dwellers are numbered. State minister Aninda Islam Amit at the Parliament said that Dhaka would face 110 megawatts load shedding on trial basis to ensure supply of electricity for irrigation in rural areas (see "Dhaka to face 110MW load shedding on trial basis to ensure irrigation supply: State minister", The Business Standard,April 23,2026). State minister sounded confident that the crisis would not prolong as govt has the fund to import fuel and one coal power plant will resume operation following maintenance. If there is truth in it, then this power crisis could have been avoided through innovative means. First take a look at the problems the outage created. The onset of the war in [the] Middle East and subsequent fuel crisis led to closure of many schools for more than a month. Now frequent power cuts in the villages hamper the learning of the students at home. Many SSC examinees cannot prepare themselves well for the ongoing exams. There is a measles outbreak in Bangladesh and frequent load shedding in the villages complicated the care and treatment of the infants at hospitals and at home. Apart from hampering irrigation, small businesses in the rural areas suffer tremendously, witnessing drop in the sales revenue.

Govt claims the suffering is temporary. This short spell of load shedding could be avoided. Day light saving time is not new to Bangladeshis. If office hours are between 8 am and 4 pm, then lot of electricity will be saved,discarding the need for power outage. If the number of working days [is] reduced to 4 days ,then it will also save a lot of electricity. It will also lower the number vehicles on the street during working days, saving lots of fuel. Sri Lanka is already pursuing this strategy. Last but not the least is to bring all the coal based and furnace oil based power plants into full power generation, improving the load shedding situation dramatically.

Total installed power generation capacity of the country is 27840 megawatts (source: Wikipedia.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electricity_sector_in_Bangladesh). Lack of natural gas and furnace oil render most of the power generation plants out of operation. Since govt is confident to procure more LNG and oil for power generation, it is anticipated that the power outage will not take a virulent form. Even if the power outage is necessary, the urban centers should bear the most of it ,sparing the villages and not perturbing the rural economy. Rearranging working hours or fewer working days could be thought of alternative to power cuts as they lower the peak demand for electricity. Point is there is no need for power outage when innovative means are available.

La Semaine Dernière A Mes Yeux

(18 avril --- 24 avril)

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Ma Semaine Gastronomique

Date	Petit déjeuner	Déjeuner	Dîner	Snacks,Sucreries,Boissons et Fritures
18	Pain,Pomme de terre	Riz,Yard long beans,Pomme de terre,Ruhi,Soupe aux lentilles	Riz,Yard long beans,Soupe aux lentilles,Ruhi	Ananas,Pois chiches,Riz gonflé
19	Pain,Yardlong beans,Œuf	Riz,Purée de pomme de terre,Ruhi,Soupe aux lentilles	Riz,Purée de pomme de terre,Ruhi,Soupe aux lentilles	Ananas,Pastèque
20	Pain,Pois blanc	Riz,Soupe aux lentilles,Petit poisson	Riz,Petit poisson,Soupe aux lentilles	Ananas,Puri
21	Pain	Riz,Sec ruban avec haricot rouge	Riz,Sec ruban avec haricot rouge,Pianju,Gombo,Yardlong beans	Patate douce, Mermelos fruit
22	Pain,Œuf ,Banane	Riz,Pois blanc,Ruhi,Épinard d'eau	Riz,Lait,Banane	Ananas,Puri
23	Pain,Pois blanc	Riz,Pois blanc,Courge amère,Ruhi,Yardlong beans	Riz,Courge amère,Crevette,Yardlong beans	---
24	Pain,Œuf	Riz,Pois blanc,Tige de taro avec sec crevettes, Purée de cumin, Courge amère ,Yardlong beans	Riz,Pois blanc,Tige de taro avec sec crevettes, Purée de cumin	Pomme,Sucreries, Pois chiches,Riz gonflé,Fruit cake

Festivals Are The Key

Festive mood and bonus money Bring pace to dull economy.

Seasonal festivals turn out to be boon for the economy. Widespread participation in the festival accelerates sales. Festival transaction constitutes major part of the annual transaction. Festival sales boost demand in fixed season and generate much needed revenue to the shop owners. Two Eids and Bengali new year (Pohela Baishakh)celebration are among the major festivals that shape the annual sales. Back to back celebration of Eid and Pohela Boishakh to some extent subdued the economy all these years. As the gap between lunar calendar driven Eid and Bengali calendar driven Pohela Boishakh widens, impact of the two on the economy also deepens.

Govt bonus to public servants plays a key role in rejuvenating the festival economy. In addition, many private organizations follow govt step and provide special bonus during the Pohela Boishakh. In brief, this bonus and allowance make a huge impact to the growing of the festival economy. Though no formal study is initiated, news reports suggest a quarter of annual sales take place during the Pohela Boishakh. From food to handicrafts, from clothes to entertainment ,hardly any sector remains untouched by the festive mood.

Taking enthusiasm into account, other festivals could play major role in bringing pace to economy. Aiming at festivals stretching all around the year is the key. Autumn is coincided with the harvesting season. So celebrating Nobanno or Autumn festival,which is held in November, will give people another occasion to celebrate and spend money. Cash allowance to salary men will also augment sales in this time. Winter is considered an ideal time for celebration. Most of the educational institutions remain closed. Winter festival can be thought of as the desired festival of this time. Since the dry season is an ideal season to travel around the country, winter can be considered the chosen season to boost tourism at home. Tourism bonus to salary men can make more people travel different parts of the country, ending bad spell for the domestic tourism industry.

Festive mood proves to be great catalyst to increase sales. Capitalizing the festivals all year around could rejuvenate the dull economy. Apart from the two Eids, Pohela Boishakh in April, Nobanno in November and Winter festival in December can provide year round sales boom. For that to happen, cash bonus to public and private employees is a must. This kind of sales push during festivals will definitely move the economy forward to reach the desired destination.

La Semaine Dernière A Mes Yeux

(11 avril --- 17 avril)

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Ma Semaine Gastronomique

Date	Petit déjeuner	Déjeuner	Dîner	Snacks,Sucreries,Boissons et Fritures
11	Pain,Pois blanc	Riz,Yard long beans,Sec ruban poisson avec haricot rouge	Riz,Yard long beans,Sec ruban poisson avec haricot rouge	Patate douce
12	Pain, Pois blanc	Riz,Purée de pomme de terre,Latya poisson	Riz,Purée de pomme de terre,Sec ruban poisson avec haricot rouge,Latya poisson	Pois chiches,Riz gonflé
13	Pain,Papaye-Pomme de Terre bhaji	Riz,Soupe aux lentilles,Gombo,Petit poisson	Riz,Petit poisson,Purée de pomme de terre	Patate douce
14	Riz rassis,Pianju,Purée de pomme de terre,Puntio barbe poisson	Riz,Purée de pomme de terre,Soupe aux lentilles,Petit poisson	Riz,Lait,Banane	Banane,Sucreries
15	Paratha,Œuf	Riz,Soupe aux lentilles,Latya poisson,Feuilles de jute	Riz,Latya poisson,Soupe aux lentilles,Feuilles de jute	Patate douce
16	Pain,Banane	Riz,Purée de pomme de terre,Sec ruban avec haricot rouge	Riz,Sec ruban avec haricot rouge/td>	---
17	Pain,Œuf	Riz,Purée de pomme de terre, Soupe aux lentilles,Petit poisson,Sec ruban poisson	Riz,Petit poisson,Soupe aux lentilles	---

Revenue Reform Remains Unimplemented

Throwing the revenue reform into the gutter Is not silly but a serious matter.

It appears that the ruling party has kept its words by not implementing the revenue reform. At the heart of this reform is the separation between revenue policy department and revenue implementation department. Past interim govt even made Revenue Policy and Revenue Administration Ordinance 2025 (see http://bdlaws.minlaw.gov.bd/act-details-1537.html),which is in line with the IMF reform list. Incumbent Finance Minister before the election said his party would support independence of the central bank but oppose splitting the NBR into two bodies.

What does this new ordinance contain? Govt will appoint people to revenue policy department. Tax Appellate Tribunal and Customs, Excise and VAT Appellate Tribunal will be under the auspices of revenue policy department. Its jobs include formulation of tax policy, raising/lowering taxes, tax law amendment, evaluation of tax management, negotiations on international customs agreement, research, revenue forecast and estimation among other things.

Staffs of revenue administration department will be drawn from BCS cadres. Revenue administration is tasked with implementation of various tax laws and regulations, implementation of international customs agreement, implementation of international agreement on abolition of double taxation, staff management, making and implementing budget for the department, initiating tax awareness building campaign,undertaking audit and surveillance programs etc.

The splitting of the NBR will make the policy department's influence weaker over the administration department. At present NBR could impose excise duties or [raise] taxes in the middle of the year in a bid to meet the revenue target. The move ultimately increases cost of doing business. Many investment initiatives sustain cost overrun because of unpredictable nature of tax policies. It is anticipated that NBR reform would bring predictability in tax policies [by] not raising cost of businesses in a given year.

And most importantly the reform may put an end to policies driven by political vendetta. The NBR Order of 1972 makes NBR a powerful institution. If one reads the clause #4 of The NBR Order, then one can have some idea about the power wielded by the NBR. The clause states that govt can make rules at its whims and NBR officers can take actions whatever they wish before the rule is actually made. Those actions before the rule cannot be put under scanner later (see The NBR Order 1972, https://nbr.gov.bd/uploads/acts/9.pdf). In the past we saw how the NBR was used to harass the political opponent. Fear is that outrightly throwing the idea of splitting the NBR may continue political vendetta driven actions.

Revenue reform will not only put restraint over overwhelming power of NBR,it will also bring the much needed predictability about revenue policymaking. And it will benefit both business and individual alike in terms of giving idea about the vernacular cost. At the same time, it will improve the political environment by ending use of NBR as a docile instrument to harass others. But by not making the ordinance into a law , govt throws cold water into such bright possibilities. I hope govt will reconsider its decision.