Drought in Bangladesh: a Case Study of Pirgonj in Rangpur District: Drought Indices, Drought Condition and Drought Impact Assessment

Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries for natural disaster. The climate change issue has appeared in Bangladesh that has intensified the adverse climatic events. Drought is one of the most severe natural hazards in northern Bangladesh. This research was carried out at Pirgonj Upazilla in Rangpur district. The study examines the indices and condition of drought and try to find the key impact those are facing by the people here and the people?s perceptions regarding drought. Droughts are recurrent features in Bangladesh. They affect plant growth, leading to loss of crop production, food shortages, and for many people, starvation. The main objective of this study was to examine the climatic variable especially the temperature, rainfall, potential evapotranspiration to understand the drought condition of these areas and the impact of drought. Data used in this paper were collected during the summer of 2011 from 305 households located in the Pirgonj Upazilla. The analysis of the data suggests that drought occur this area as a reoccurrence phenomenon and drought effect every year. It is the most severe hazard in this area. The Aus and Amon rice both are hampered for drought.