FSIBL-MARS Ltd's initiative helping coastal districts get localised weather forecast

First Security Islami Bank Ltd (FSIBL) has taken an initiative to provide local weather forecasts to teachers of 250 schools and colleges of coastal areas in the country.

Through this project, 500 teachers from 250 schools are getting a text message on their mobile phones every morning.

From this message, they learn about rain, temperature and other weather forecasts. If there is any risk due to the weather, the assigned teachers spread the news among the people of their area.

This initiative, which was started in August 2018, improves the quality of life by making localised weather forecast easily accessible.

In this initiative, MARS Limited, a private weather forecasting company in Bangladesh, is carrying out the responsibility of providing local weather forecast.

"As the climate crisis is deepening, the impact of the weather on the lives of every person is also worsening. Therefore, by providing weather forecasts at the local level, we can help people to make right decisions," said Syed Waseque Md Ali, managing director of FSIBL.

"With this in mind, through our initiatives, we have so far given 510,000 weather forecast to 500 teachers in 250 schools in 14 upazilas of four coastal districts -- Satkhira, Khulna, Chittagong and Cox's Bazar."

About two lakh people have benefited directly and indirectly, he said.

"Each upazila has many unique characteristics in terms of weather. Usually, people of a locality may not get the right direction from the general weather forecasts. As a result, providing localized weather information is vital," said Wg Cdr Md Abdul Quddus (Retd), managing director of MARS Ltd.

"Thus, weather information can become instrumental for the economic as well as social life of mass people."

Manoj Kumar Mandal, head teacher of Hadda High School located near Shibsha river in Koyra upazila in Khulna, is one of the key personnel who continued helping his students and their families get weather updates everyday.

The aim was to help local people and students to improve their quality of life by providing weather forecast, he said.

Hemanta Mandal, another head teacher of Gadaipur Jeher Ali High School in Satkhira, is getting weather forecast under this initiative. Regarding the role of weather information in the lives of students, Mandal said that due to uncertain weather or fear of storms, the attendance of students in schools often decreases and teachers also fell into various problems. 

"Since, I get weather update every day, Now I can provide accurate information to the teachers and students. As a result, it is becoming possible to reduce the adverse effects of hostile weather on educational activities."