Dhaka, Aug. 13 -- The country passed through the ordeals of devastating floods in consecutive years in the late 1980s and the 1990s. Geologically, Bangladesh has been a flood-prone country since ancient times. Following the tampering with the flows common rivers by upper riparian countries, beginning in the mid-1970s, the situation had continued to get worse. Another nature-borne disaster raised its ugly head soon, and began wreaking havoc to crops in years. It came in the form of drought. The people of the country, though used to a temperate climate, were not unfamiliar with extreme summer conditions with little rain. But the emergence of the punishing droughts became a nearly seasonal phenomenon after the obstruction of river flows upst...