Dhaka, Aug 25 (bdnews24.com)—President Iajuddin Ahmed on Monday highlighted the huge challenge global warming posed for Bangladesh with a third of the country at threat of inundation due to rising sea-levels. Experts, at an international conference on climate change and food security in the capital, said better information could assist communities in facing the threat to land and food. "Scientist have projected that low lying land, particularly in the coastal areas of the world, will be inundated owing to rises in sea level," said Iajuddin at the inauguration of the event. "Therefore, the entire South Asian coastal belt will be severely affected … this region faces intense natural disasters in the form of floods, cyclones, storm surges and drought," he said. Iajuddin, quoting World Bank figures, said up to 30 percent of Bangladesh's rice production could be affected owing to climate change. "The (UN's) Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change has also stated that Bangladesh may lose as much as one-third of its landmass due to rises in sea level." Dhaka University, Ohio State University, the World Meteorological Organisation, UNESCAP, and the Food and Agriculture Oragnisation (FAO) have jointly organised the six-day "International Symposium on Climate Change and Food Security" being held at Hotel Sonargaon. Ratan Lal, a soil science professor at Ohio State University, said Bangladesh was particularly vulnerable to climate change as a low-lying landmass. Around 80 percent of its land was than 6 metres above sea level, he said. WMO secretary general Michel Jarraud, mentioning that droughts, floods, frosts, and heat waves all caused crop and livestock losses, stressed: "It is the changing frequency of these events due to climate change that is the main concern in South Asia." "Better information on climate can assist agricultural communities in making better decisions," he said.