This study investigates the recent changes in natural hazard prioritizations in northern Bangladesh and presents community-based risk analyses of the various natural hazards that present threats to sustainable agriculture. The study area in northern Bangladesh included two union council areas under the Panchagarh sub-district. Climatological data analysis, a detailed questionnaire survey, and focus group discussions were conducted to assess farmers’ perceptions regarding the shifting and identification of hazards, their seasonal variation, and hazard prioritizations. The SMUG (seriousness, manageability, urgency, and growth) and FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) models were applied for hazard prioritization. Hailstorms were found to be the most prioritized hazard over droughts and flash floods as perceived by the community. The farmers’ perceptions as evaluated through a questionnaire survey also support the findings of the SMUG and FEMA models. This was the first attempt to analyze the potential of hailstorms as a significant hazard in Bangladesh, and GIS maps showed their spatial distribution and temporal frequency across Bangladesh. This newly identified hazard is significantly diminishing farmers’ motivation to continue farming and has the potential to affect sustainable agriculture. The farmers’ perceptions, historical data analysis, use of the two models, institutional approach, hazard risk assessment, and vulnerability to the major sectors show that hailstorms should be considered as an important hazard in northern Bangladesh, and policymakers should pay urgent attention to minimize the threat to sustainable agriculture in northern Bangladesh.

Technology-driven control measures could be an important tool to control the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. This study evaluates the potentiality of emerging technologies such as 5G and 6G communication, Deep Learning (DL), big data, Internet of Things (IoT) etc. for controlling the COVID-19 transmission and ensuring health safety. The healthcare sector is able to provide a unified, rapid, and incessant service to people by applying modern wireless connectivity tools like 5G or 6G during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study has identified eight key areas of applications for the COVID-19 management like infection detection; travel history analysis; identification of infection symptoms; early detection; transmission identification; access to information in lockdown; movement of people; and development of medical treatments and vaccines. Data have been collected from the respondents living in Sakaka city, KSA during pandemic. This study reveals that most people receive information from social networking sites, health professionals, and television without facing any challenges. The analysis shows that, during the COVID-19 pandemic, about 42% of respondents felt tense always or most of the time in a day. Only 28.6% of respondents felt tense sometimes, whereas the remainder (about 30%) did not feel tense in relation to the COVID-19 crisis. Satisfaction with COVID-19-related information is also positively correlated with COVID-19-related information literacy (r = 0.53, p < 0.01) that is also positively correlated with depression or emotion, anxiety, and stress (r = -0.15, p < 0.05). The long-term pandemic is creating several psychological symptoms including anxiety, stress, and depression, irrespective of age. INTRODUCTIONThe entire world is now facing a terrible and fatal COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2. From its discovery in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, COVID-19, as a rapidly transmitted infectious coronavirus, has created panic worldwide. As on May 5, 2021, the total number of identified cases is 154,988,353 and death is 3,241,164 [1]. At the current time, the number of cases is increasing rapidly. Traditional technologies in the medical field have failed to control this pandemic. Schol-This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

The objectives of the study were to (i) assess the extent of water shortage in the downstream of Teesta River Basin (TRB) areas; (ii) explore the problems associated with crop production due to water shortage in TRB areas and (iii) examine the impact of water shortage on crop production in TRB areas. The study was conducted in four villages under Nilphmari district during April, 2015. By secondary data analysis and farmers' perception it was clear that water flow and discharge of Teesta river was decreasing significantly during the last 15 years. The major impact was the dramatic increase in costs of irrigation of major crops and ultimately rise in the costs of production and less profit from farming. All of the farmers (100%) opined that the irrigation costs of major crops have been increasing due to shortage of water. The cultivation of LWRC due to water shortage was also a major impact of water shortage on crop production. Farmers were concentrating more on cultivating maize, tobacco, wheat, different types of vegetables etc. compared to rice particularly in dry season. Different types of problems like increased amount of heavy metal in crop land due to continuous uplifting of ground water, decrease soil fertility, increase pests and diseases to crops, fallowing of high and medium high land, increase of fertilizer and pesticide costs etc. were affecting farmers severely in crop production.

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IntroductionCoronavirus disease outbreak has become a top global challenge. Critical issues have emerged regarding access to information, health services, and daily necessities. Effective access to such components is expected to promote public safety and survival as well as to help combat social fear and risk perception. This study aims to fill this gap by exploring public perceptions of access, risk, and government response during the COVID-19 outbreak.Material and methodsA quantitative field survey using a structured mailed questionnaire was conducted to collect primary data from 100 foreigners living in various cities in South Korea. Access to information, health and daily necessities, and overall risk perception were examined based on individual reports regarding sources, availability, credibility, and overall satisfaction.ResultsOur finding suggest that foreigners are receiving reliable information from public and private sources. Although access to health services, daily necessities, and protection measures were perceived as limited due to government protection measures, survey respondents tended to perceive an overall satisfactory government response in terms of providing resources and reducing risks related to COVID-19.ConclusionsModel analysis indicates that gender, home location, and duration of stay are significantly related to lower levels of risk perception. This study provides a new lens for policymakers, administrators, and academicians by which they can ensure smooth public access to information, health, and daily necessities regarding the protection and containment of coronavirus.