Empowerment of Women In Bangladesh

Definition: Empowerment means the process of giving power or authority to the powerless. Empowerment of women is a process through which women in general and poor women in particular gets the opportunity to join the workforce and contribute to family income and interfere on family as well as social affairs.

Women’s position in the past: In past women were segregated from out of home productive work. They were kept within the four walls. The heath became the place for them. So cooking, cleaning, washing, giving birth and rearing children became their jobs. Men become the wage earners and all other activities become their responsibilities. In Bangladesh position of the women is very humiliating. Women are the worst suffers.

Cause of dis-empowerment: there are many reasons of dis-empowerment of women in Bangladesh. Of them the following reasons are the most important.

1. Economic reasons
2. Socio-culture and religious reasons

Economic reasons: Majority of the women of our country haven’t any economic freedom. From their birth till death they depend on men. Though many of the women specially the rural women perform the job of rearing ducks and hens. Post harvest activities etc. nobody gives any credit for them. They are regarded as liability of the family. Until and unless they will be given economic freedom. Women’s empowerment will not be possible.

Socio-culture and religious reasons: In Bangladesh women are the worst sufferers. Social prejudices and customs tend to degrade their position. When a girl is born in a poor family, it is not regarded as a happy event. They think that she has come as if to add to the sufferings to her parents. They seldom think of sending her to school. The parents try to find a husband for their daughter even before she attains physical and mental maturity. Then she enters her husband’s family, that most often prove hostile to her. Most of the times if her dowry fall short of the expectation of her husband and his parents, they will insult and mistreat her. She may be threatened with divorce. She may be assaulted and in extreme cases she nay even be tortured to death.

Necessity of women’s empowerment: Women are nowadays as important as men in society. They constitute nearly half of our total population. So there can be no denying the fact that they too possess equal rights and duties as men. They have noble missions to fulfill as men. No nation can make the real progress keeping a full half of its population in the dark. So woman’s empowerment is essential.

Necessary steps for empowerment: Some practical measures should be taken for the empowerment of women. The women should be made conscious of the fact that they have got all the potentialities to participate in the socio-economic development of the country. They should be made self-sufficient y giving them proper education and employment. It should also be ensured that at workplace women get their desirable and just wages against their contributions. The social prejudices that exist regarding the girls must be changed.

Women’s present position: During the last few decades women’s status has been changed greatly. Today women are playing important role in all spheres of life. Many of them have come out of the kitchens. They are working hand in hand with men in all spheres or work i.e. from garments workers to pilots, doctors, engineers, teachers, administrators etc.

Conclusion: Now, It has come to the realization to all that if we want to keep pace with the challenge of the millennium, both men and women should work side by side. In this regard, the government along with the people from all strata of life should come forward to extend their whole hearted cooperation.

The Flood In Bangladesh

Introduction: Blessed with the gifts of modern science, man is puffed up with pride. In his pride of power he proclaims himself the lord of land, are and water and there is none to dispute his right. To reach him a good lesson nature appears before him “red in tooth and claw”.
Bangladesh is a low land. It has many rivers. She is also in the monsoon area. It rains heavily during the monsoon period. So floods are very common in our country. Almost every year flood visits our country.

In the remote past it was believed that flood is the outcome of God’s wrath upon man. When people of a particular area committed sin, God punished them by sending floods in that area. With the growth of scientific knowledge man has however come to realize that floods are caused by heavy rains. Rivers cannot hold the waters, as a result they overflow their banks and cause flood. Floods are caused by some other reasons. Sometimes, there is heavy rush of water from the mountain through our ricers. Sudden melting of snow or tidal bores causes flood.

Damage: The havoc done by flood beggars description. It causes a heavy damage to our life and properties. Houses are destroyed, cattle are washed away, crops are greatly damaged and trees are uprooted. The weak, the invalid and the children meet watery grave. The strong climb up the trees or house tops and save themselves. Thousands of people become homeless or shelter less. They remain without food for many days on house tops or on the branches of trees. All communications from the outside world is cut off. Then move by boats.
The flood of 1988 broke the records of the past. Ever before did water level rise so high nor was the duration so long. The whole country went under water. All communication was cut off. Normal activities were stopped for long time. Many people became homeless. The miseries of the affected people knew no bounds. Crops were greatly damaged. Herds of cattle were washes away. Thousands of people met watery grave. In a word the havoc was so great that it took a long time to repair the loss.
But the after effect of floods are more serious. Famine breaks put in the flood affected areas and many people die for want of food. The prices of all necessary things go up. Many dangerous diseases like cholera, typhoid and dysentery etc, break out in an epidemic form. Scarcity of good drinking water causes great suffering. It ruins the economy of a country.

Merits: Floods do a little good to man. During floods our rivers carry a great deal of earth and mud which we call silt. This silt makes the land fertile. As a result many kinds of crops grow in plenty. Floods also carry away waste matters.

Relief work: During and after the flood the relief work should go on. Otherwise the miseries of the affected people will increase. During the flood government and some other voluntary organizations come forward to help the flood affected people. Relief camps are opened. People get food, cloths, and other necessary things there. Te affected people should be sheltered and fed for a long time. Loans should be given them so that they could again run their family.

How to prevent floods: Proper steps should be taken to control floods. All the rivers should be excavated and good drainage system should be introduced. A large number of sluices and outlets should be made for the easy passing of rain water.

Seasons In Bangladesh

Introduction: There are six seasons in Bangladesh. Each season has its own features. We hear new sounds and enjoy new scenes in each season. Nowhere in the world are the six seasons so sharply felt as in Bangladesh. Everything changes. The people also feel different in each season. They forget the monotony of life and start their daily work anew.

Summer-its feature: The first season in Bangali calendar is the summer. Baisakh and jaistha constitute summer. During summer the sun shines hotly. The harts is terrible. Water goes dry, ponds, canals, lakes and small rivers go dry. There is scarcity of water everywhere. The earth gets parched. People sweat at the slightest work and become tired and thirsty. There is sultry hot. People can mot work at ease. Summer is also the season of various fruits. Various seasonal fruits ripe then. Sometimes, Kalnaishakhi sweeps over the country and causes harm and make many people homeless.

The Rains: After summer comes the rainy season. It is most welcome to people because people heave sigh of relief from excessive heat. The sky is overcast with clouds and the sun can not seen for hours even for days. It rains heavily now and then, sometimes cats and dogs and in small drops, pond, canals, lakes and rivers are full to the brim. The earth and roads are wet and muddy. Rain is a great blessing for our country. Our agriculture depends on this rain. If the rain does not come in time, our farmers can not reap a good harvest. Rain carries away the filths and dirt’s. Everything in nature looks fresh. At the time people move by boats. Sometimes it rains so heavily that it causes flood and bring untold miseries to people.

The Autumn: After the rain comes the autumn. Bhadra and Aswin are the months of this season. Rain is not so copious. The sky is clear. While clouds float in the sky. People especially the farmers look happy because they go to the market with loads of jute and earn money. The Hindus perform their Durga puja in this season.
The late autumn: The autumn rolls into the late autumn. It is the season of dew and farmers look happy. They are busy in harvesting. They perform the Nobanna. It also hints the arrival of winter.

Winter: The late autumn is followed by the winter. Winter looks gloomy. Trees become bare of leaves. Days are very short and the nights are very long. People shiver in cold. Winter is welcome to the rich because they can wear their warm clothes but the poor suffer much from cold. They burn dry leaves and straw to warm them selves. Birds and other animals also suffer from cold. People wrap themselves with quilt and blanket when they go to bed at night. Various delicious vegetables grow in this season and people eat them. It is the season of fog.

Spring: Spring is the best of all seasons. It is neither too cold nor too hot. Tress gets new leaves and flowers. A gentle breeze blows and makes everyone happy. The sweet song of the cuckoo is heard.

Conclusion: Thus moves the cycle of six seasons. Each season has its own influence on the people of Bangladesh.

Green House Effect

Introduction: In our day to day life we are experiencing new kind of problem. Our environment is facing new type of pollution. Green house effect is one of them. Green house effect is the gradual warming of the air surrounding the earth as a result of heat being trapped by environmental pollution.

Causes: There are many causes of green house effect. The destruction and cutting down of tropical rain forests, vehicles that clog up city streets, the rapid growth of population, the use of chlorofluorocarbons in packaging and manufacturing commercial products, the use of detergents, such as washing powder and washing up liquid and various kinds of environmental pollutions are the causes of green house effect. Carbon Dioxide gas, produced by the burning of fossil fuels and forests and pollutants such as methane and chlorofluorocarbons also cause green house effect. In recent years there have been many alarming reports that the world’s climate is undergoing a significant change. All these reports provide strong evidence that world temperatures are increasing day by day. This increase in global warming is caused by increased amounts of carbon dioxide around the earth. Most climatologists believe that the green house effect is the most likely cause of this global warming.

Effect: The effects of green house effect are too many to be described. It can not be described in words. Its effect is very devastating and destructive. Its effect is a dangerous threat to humane existence and to animal and plant lives. Climatologists predict that by midway through the next century temperatures may have risen by as much as . This could seriously reduce mankind’s ability to grow food, destroy or severely damage wildlife and wilderness, raise sea levels and thereby flood coastal areas and farmland.
Bangladesh is very much vulnerable to frequent natural disasters. Annual visitations of cyclones and floods are routine but nonetheless sudden and fatal in their wild rage. The yearly damages they leave behind are enormous. However our people are accustomed to cyclones and floods. But another creeping disaster is gathering in fury is the green house effect for which the people are not prepared at all and the state appears to be taking no notice. It is the longer of rising sea level from the green house effect. It can wipe away about are third of our land and spell disaster for the ecological balance of the entire country. So if we lose our lands because of the sea rise. Our existence as a nation would be imperiled. The more alarming news about Bangladesh is that as a result of the rise of sea level the lower southern part of the country may one day go under water.

Remedy: An oft-quoted proverb is that prevention is better then cure. So it is high time to take necessary steps and preventive measures to get rid of the devastating effect of green house effect. People should be encouraged to plant trees more instead of cutting down trees indiscriminately. It is a sacred duty of all humane beings to prevent the environment from being spoilt. To make life healthy and comfortable we should keep the environment clean and free from all kinds of pollution’s. mills, factories, brick-fields should be set up in a planned way. Alarming rate of population growth should be checked. Vehicles should be brought under control so that they might not produce deafening sound and emit thick pall of black smoke and create traffic clogging.

Conclusion: For our survival, we need to add a strong voice to international advocacy for emission and control of greenhouse gases that are causing global warming by damaging the ozone layer. The UN secretary General Kofi Annan had made a fervent appeal urging the USA to join other nations in reducing emissions and conserving energy. Nevertheless Kofi Annan warns that climate change may be the greatest challenge, the next generation will face and Bangladesh has to need it as this country probably has much more to lose from greenhouse gas effects than any other country is the world.

Arsenic Problem In Bangladesh

Introduction: In our day to day life we are experiencing new kind of problem. Our environment is facing new type of pollution. Arsenic pollution is one of them. When the presence of arsenic in water is higher than the acceptable quantity. It is called Arsenic. It is one of the biggest problems in Bangladesh. Arsenic pollution is causing much harm to Bangladesh. The number of arsenic affected people is increasing day by day.

Detection of arsenic in Bangladesh: Arsenic was first detected in Bangladesh in 1984. During that period about 2500 shallow tube-wells were tested in 34 districts out of which each and every tube-well was detected arsenic polluted. Another survey conducted jointly by the DPHL (Department of Public Health Engineering) and British Geological Survey 2000 showed that more that 90% of the shallow tub-wells in the most seriously arsenic polluted areas produced contaminated water exceeding .05 mg/1 of arsenic. It also marked that the most affected area in Bangladesh is North Bangal.

Harmful effect of Arsenic: Thousands of people in Bangladesh are suffering from arsenic poisonings and more are being affected every day. Poison by arsenic is a slow process. It is due to a gradual build-up of the poison in the human body. Eventually people start to show symptoms and become unwell. It causes sore in the fingers or in any other part of the body. Sometimes the sore turns into gangrene and then to cancer. It also affects different parts of the human body like liver, kidney, heart stomach, skin etc. Arsenic poisoning also causes irritation and serious burning of skins, hair falling, cough etc.

Medical treatment: At present there is no medical treatment or medicine that can prevent and disease caused by arsenic sis. Since there is no effective cure, preventive measures should be taken properly. Arsenic contamination can be mitigated to a large extent if the following preventive measures are adopted:

• Creating public awareness: The people are to be made conscious of the harmful effect of the arsenic poisoning.
They are to give knowledge of the symptoms of arsenic contamination and places
where they can get proper treatment.


• Regular surveying: In order to have the clear conception regarding arsenic pollution, regular survey should be done although the country. All the tune-wells should be tested to separate the safe from the unsafe. Safe tube-well should be painted green and unsafe ones should be painted red.

Ensuring safe drinking water: In order to ensure the supply of pure drinking water more deep tube-well should be installed because deep tube-well are free from arsenic and bacteria’s. But they will also have to be tested in the future to ensure that it is still the case.
Surface water in ponds and rivers is a potential source of arsenic free water. But most surface water in our country is heavily polluted with dangerous bacteria. So no surface water should be sued without some form of treatment. Care should be taken while using river down stream of large cities such as Dhaka. As is may contain industrial pollution. Rain water should be collected for drinking in a bacteria free container. Water need not to be boiled to remove arsenic because boiling does not remove arsenic. Healthy balanced diet containing fish and vegetables should be taken. Food containing vitamin “A” “C” and “E” should be taken.

Conclusion: It is high time we found out the cause of arsenic pollution and put our all out efforts to fight this public hazard before it takes a serious turn.