Asian mets look for ways to fight natural disasters

[senorpepr]

DHAKA (AFP) - South Asian meteorologists gathered in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka for four days of brainstorming on how to minimise the damage from natural disasters in the calamity-prone region.

"The loss and damage of lives, agricultural crops and livestock due to these meteorological events cannot be avoided but can be reduced by using appropriate forecasts or warnings with sufficient lead time," Reaz Rahman, Bangladesh's state minister for foreign affairs, told delegates Saturday.

Mahbubur Rahman, director of the Dhaka-based SAARC Meteorological Research Center which organised the meet, called for better forecasting as South Asia's geography placed it in the frequent path of disasters.

Thousands die across South Asia each year from the hot summers and cold winters, along with cyclones, floods, landslides and occasional earthquakes.