The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Rangpur

The on time transmission of warnings during and before natural calamities including floods from radio stations can minimise disaster losses in remote chars of the region.

The observation came at a programme organised to distribute radio sets among the poor people of disaster-prone char areas of the greater district at the Rangpur Collectorate on Wednesday.

Rangpur Kendra of Bangladesh Betar, and two NGOs-POPI and SEED-distributed radio sets free of costs among 190 poorer families of different char areas of Rangpur, Kurigram and Lalmonirhat districts under the assistance of Oxfam GB. Regional Director of Bangladesh Betar, Rangpur Kendra, Khurshid Alam Chowdhury chaired the function, while Deputy Commissioner of Rangpur Alhaj Khondker Atiar Rahman attended as the chief guest.

Executive Director of SEED, Sarothi Rani Saha, project coordinator of POPI Rostam Ali, and Suman Das of Oxfam GB, among others, also spoke.

They said radio is the only medium for entertainment of the people living in the char areas in river basins, where access to television is a far cry due to non-availability of electricity. Radio, still a popular medium, can make people aware in advance about any natural calamities.

They urged for transmission of additional programmes on disaster management to enabling char dwellers in getting access to forecasts about floods, erosion and nor'westers.