Abstract
Agricultural activities of Bangladesh, being dependent on seasonal rainfall, are adversely affected by the shortage of seasonal rainfall during dry periods. Intensified drought damages due to climate variabilities have increased the urgency of proper assessment of drought in Bangladesh. Rainfall anomalies and rainfall anomaly index (RAI) were used to characterize meteorological drought scenario in Bangladesh. In addition, drought area index and percent anomaly were used to quantify drought. Analyses on rainfall intensities showed that the maximum decrease in monsoon rainfall occurred in Comilla (0.006 mm/hr). The ranges of rainfall intensity for drought condition were 0.00 - 0.29 mm/hr in pre-monsoon, 0.00 - 0.45 mm/hr in monsoon, 0.00 - 0.17 mm/hr in post-monsoon and 0.00 - 0.03 mm/hr in winter. Percentage of seasonal rainfall anomaly showed that the percentage of dry year was maximum in Jessore (42%), while it was 38% in Dhaka. Coefficient of Variation (CV), CV anomalies, and drought probability index (DPI) were used to assess rainfall reliability and drought uncertainty. The assessment on meteorological drought along with several adaptation measures found in this study will contribute to the drought management of the country.
