Negligence turns SAU weather station to a museum
The Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University (SAU) weather station has become inoperative for lack of maintenance.
The weather station, as a UGC-implemented HEQEP project, was set up at 2011 at the cost of Tk 1.2 million. The project duration was 3 years, from 2011 to 2013, and then the station worked under the custody of Pr. Dr Parimal Kanti Biswas, department of Agronomy.
The weather station contents climate measuring instruments, such as, maximum minimum thermometer, Rain gauge, Wind vane, Anemometer, evapo-transpiration meter, Sunshine recorder, Barometer and Soil thermometer.
For collecting data from equipment, a regular work is always needed at the station. The weather station is too much useful for finding data for MS and PhD students and significance for newcomers to introduce with climate measuring instruments.
In a field visit to the weather station, there found filthy condition everywhere at the station. The equipment are all most damaged and became out of order.
Dr Biswas said that the Hygrometer, Barometer, Sunshine recorder were totally damaged due to absence of a permanent employee and negligence for maintenance from the authority.
Professor Dr. Md Shahidul Islam, chairman of Agronomy department, said that Dr Biswas did not formally handed over the responsibility of weather station to the agronomy department.
He further said that if Dr Bishwas continues the responsibility, we urge the higher authority for a budget for the station and a permanent caretaker for the station.
