Natural disaster is an exception to the normal natural rules. Natural disaster is a kind of natural phenomenon. As a result socio-economic damage is caused to people. Although it happens as a normal natural phenomenon. However in many cases such incidents occur due to the natural balance being destroyed due to human activities. Natural calamities cause a lot of damage. Bangladesh is a country prone to natural disasters due to geographical and geological location. The biggest problem in Bangladesh is the problem of over population. Any proper management of overpopulation is extremely difficult. Therefore the unexpected loss of life in disasters is also very common. For reducing human mortality and damage information and communication technology is also important along with proper management role must be played.
This modern information and communication technology has become a tool at various times in disaster relief. In today's era of information and communication technology there is no alternative to ensuring the use of new technologies in the face of any natural disaster. Information technology should also be properly utilized as per the need. As the frequency of disasters is increasing as a result of climate change then the extent of damage are also increasing and at the same time the disasters risk to the population is constantly increasing. The number and severity of disasters have increased manifold in the last decade. Changes in cyclone tracks and number of occurrences increase in intensity require rethinking of disaster preparedness programs and planning and implementation. Approximately 18 crore people live in Bangladesh. Bangladesh is known as one of the most densely populated countries in the world. Among this huge population there are three to four crore people live on the sea coast. Who constantly have to face cyclones, floods, salinity and other risks.
Others about four crore people are at risk of being affected by floods. Also there are slow-moving disasters like drought, salinity, sea level rise etc. We need to learn from the damage done by the worst disasters of the past. So that all kinds of technology needed to deal with disasters can be convened. Then it will be possible to reduce the loss rate to a great extent. Since Bangladesh is a disaster prone region so we must always be vigilant. So that the rate of damage can be reduced the most through proper disaster management. We are constantly faced with the threat of disasters and challenges. In such a situation in order to successfully advance the development activities of people's lives and property by implementing disaster risk reduction activities, scientific information, data and proper application of information and technology is required. In addition to the use of these information, data and technology in all fields, various discoveries of science and the results of various scientific studies and the use of information and data have brought significant success in reducing disaster risk in recent times. Making disaster risk reduction activities more science-based, timely and applicable at all levels is one of the objectives of modern information and communication technology. There are mainly three phases of disaster management. These are pre-disaster management, disaster management and post-disaster management. Firstly pre-disaster management refers to the management of the period before the disaster. That is the weather forecast is most needed at this time. Knowing the news of the disaster and the nature of the disaster trying to reduce the potential damage as much as possible. Satellite technology is used in our country to predict disaster situation. This artificial satellite technology is also a contribution of information technology. People need the most to minimize the damage awareness. The best means of making people aware are radio, television broadcasting, telecommunication management, print media, internet etc.
Second the disaster management is the most necessary for the time of the disaster to properly observe the pre-disaster management. Later the post-disaster management is conducted based on the communication media. Therefore disaster management cannot be considered unimportant at all. The last and the third step is post-disaster management refers to the reactivation of communication media damaged due to disasters, relief management, rehabilitation of affected people, ensuring health care.
Today's news websites are constantly updating their news-information. This is updating is not just about news. They are also based on proper images Some websites such as YouTube publish weather related videos. On the other hand another important technology is the satellite phone. Disaster management is being done in the developed world today through satellite phones. Made for communication satellite phone (called "satphone") works with the help of special satellites. It's main difference with mobile phones is that mobile phones work through base stations located nearby. As opposed to in the case of Satellite Phone communication is maintained directly with the satellite instead of the base station. As a result the benefits are much greater than mobile phones. This results in uninterrupted network facilities and many coverage areas more available. Also the tendency of network down is less. Radio is the most effective medium in disaster management. It is not possible to warn people as easily through radio as through any other medium. Radio system is the most effective medium for Bangladesh. One of the reasons is the cost the least. Also television broadcasting technology plays a very important role. Apart from this the contribution of print media in raising awareness is immense. Due to the fact that Bangladesh is a disaster-prone region in terms of geographical location the climate of Bangladesh is changing due to various reasons including environmental pollution. Therefore the disaster proneness of this country is increasing day by day. We also have to cope with this disaster. If not the amount of damage will continue to increase. So we have to think how to use IT tools to get more protection at a lower cost. Natural disasters cannot be stopped. However timely action, accurate and far-reaching planning and sufficient amount of rescue materials, large amount of trained manpower and above all appropriate use of modern information and communication technology can be one of the ways to reduce damage and save life and property.
The writer is Network Technician (ICT Cell), Jagannath University
