The work of the first phase on Ocean Satellite Ground Station on Chattogram University (CU) campus is progressing at the expected pace.
70 per cent of the construction work of the station has been completed, said sources.
The project is being implemented as a joint initiative of the University's Ocean Sciences Department and the Second Institute of Oceanography (SIO) under the Ministry of Natural Resources of China. Chinese engineers are constructing it. They are maintaining necessary communication with the university administration and oceanographer Professor Dr. Mohammad Moslem Uddin. 14 trucks of the second phase of the project have reached the campus from the port. Work on replacing them will start soon. The project will cost about Tk 700 million to implement. Of this, the Chinese company is providing technical and mechanical assistance of about Tk 600.
The foundation stone of the project was laid on the campus on March 26. The project will be implemented within this year and will play an important role in marine resource extraction, blue economy and weather forecasting.
CU Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Administration) Professor Dr Kamal Uddin said that the work on the under-construction Ocean Satellite Ground Station is progressing rapidly. Plaster work and 224 terabytes of storage have been installed in the ground station in the project. Technical equipment has also arrived from China. This ground station will receive connections from about 11 satellites. This project is being implemented as a joint initiative of Chattogram University and a Chinese company. The construction of the country's first Ocean Satellite Ground Station was inaugurated on March 26 this year. It will cost about Tk 700 million.
China's national ocean research institute 'Second Institute of Oceanography' is providing technical and mechanical assistance of about Tk 600 million.
Project coordinator Dr. Mohammad Moslem Uddin Munna, Professor of the Oceanography department in CU, said, "This project will be a state-of-the-art facility that will revolutionize ocean research, climate monitoring and disaster management."
The project, jointly organized by the Second Institute of Oceanography (SIO) of China and the Department of Oceanography of Chattogram University, will make Bangladesh self-sufficient in ocean technology. The Satellite Ground Station for Marine Remote Sensing (SGSMRS) will contribute to Bangladesh's cyclone and tidal wave forecasting system. China's HY-1SI/D and FY-4B satellites can be used to analyze sea surface temperature, wind speed and cloud movement to provide warnings 48 to 72 hours in advance.
He said, "Many other countries in the world, including Pakistan and India, have their own ocean satellite ground stations. They are able to use them in marine resource management. But we are lagging behind."
If the necessary data can be collected and analyzed through continuous monitoring with modern technology in the Bangladesh part of the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh will go a long way in developing the marine economy in a very short time. Once the project is completed, our graduates and teachers will be able to work with new enthusiasm.
Project stakeholders say that if new technology is installed, it will be easier to provide information, forecasts, warnings and advice to various related organizations including the sea and airports. Reliable information can be provided for the implementation of the Delta Plan and cooperation can be provided in international reports on climate change.
Chattogram University Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Yeahia Akhtar said that the work of the Ocean Satellite Ground Station under construction on the campus is progressing at the expected pace. 14 trucks of goods of the second phase have reached the campus from the port. The work of replacing them will start soon. Chinese engineers are maintaining necessary communication with the university administration. Various goods including computers will arrive on the third page.
