In April and May the farmers start to plant their rice crops during the normal time of year. They normally harvest these crops in June and July. But when there is a flood in June and July, they plant a second crop in September. Those crops are harvested in December. The other problem we have is that this past November we did not get any rain, so the farmers have to doing things by hand to water some of the crops or they can use a motor that has a pipe sticking out of it. Then water comes out of the pipe and the crops get water. The farmers eat rice in breakfast, lunch, and dinner with fish or chicken if they can afford it. The farmers loose their homes and when there is a flood, they take their animals to the shelter with them. In 1970, there was a huge title wave in the southern part of Bangladesh along its coast. The tide came off of the Bay of Bengal and was about 20-25 feet high. Many places were destroyed and after the government decided to create an emergency fund. If the water gets dirty the rice gets a disease and people cannot eat it. If the farmer’s crops don’t get a right amount of rain, the rice will not grow and the people will starve. The weather is important to food here in Bangladesh. Our South Asian Studies teacher shared with us how the seasons seem to be different at different times of the year now.
How does the weather we have here in Bangladesh affect the way we construct our homes?
Small bricks are to use for concrete. In the country, houses are weak, because it is made of hay, the roofs are made of sheet metal and some houses have wood. People don’t live on the beach because sometimes there will be cyclones that will destroy housing. When there is flooding after the heavy rains, people loose their houses, but when they rebuild, they look to build on a higher ground. People keep track of all the flooding that happens over the years by putting marks on the side of the home or a tree. Our houses are made from reinforced concrete. Many poor people break bricks with their hands and a tool to make the cheap concrete. When the floods come they build a little hill or they put stilts at the bottom of the houses so the water wouldn’t come in. If they lose their houses they move with a different family or they are homeless and live on the streets. Sometimes their houses fall in the river and get washed away!
How does the weather we have here in Bangladesh affect the type of clothing we wear?
Weather affects Bangladesh in many ways. One thing that weather affects is clothing. The seasons that effect clothing the most is winter. Of course, the winter in Bangladesh isn’t like America, Europe or Russia. But the people that have never been in these places think it is quite cold here. The national clothing for women of Bangladesh is saris. In winter some women mostly wear silk saris to help keep warm. The farmers wore lungies as pants and gamchas on their heads. This keeps them warm in the winters and cool in the summers.
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