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WELLINGTON: A man was struck and killed by a tree branch in a city park Tuesday as stormy weather buffeted New Zealand’s capital.
The dangerous winds and heavy rain disrupted travel, closed schools and cut electricity in parts of the country. Wind canceled flights into and out of Wellington for several hours before they resumed to bumpy take-offs and landings. The storm also halted passenger ferry sailings.
The man who died had been injured on Mount Victoria, a popular trail walking spot in the central city.
Authorities urged residents to stay out of the city’s parks and reserves because of the danger from falling trees. A dashcam video taken by a motorist Tuesday morning showed a pedestrian sent sprawling by a wind gust into the road, where they narrowly avoided being hit by oncoming cars.
The MetService weather agency said winds were recorded at speeds of up to 120 kph (75 mph) in the area of Kelburn. Wellington is New Zealand’s windiest city and known for its howling gales but the gusts were strong even by the capital’s standards.
About 10,000 properties were without electricity in the neighboring rural region of Wairarapa, according to figures from the local lines company. Schools and businesses in the area closed for the day.
Throughout Tuesday the lower North Island, where Wellington is located, and most of the South Island were under wind or rain warnings. In Christchurch on the South Island, gales disrupted flights on Tuesday afternoon.
Some state highways on both islands were closed due to flooding and landslides. In Hawkes Bay on the North Island, the wind toppled a truck, injuring one person and closing the road, authorities said.
New Zealand’s location in the southern latitudes and the mountain ranges that run the length of the country can produce wild weather throughout the year. MetService said the tempest was due to ease Wednesday before a second, more severe weather system was expected Thursday.

DHAKA: Bangladesh will ask for Saudi expertise and partnership in water and forestation projects addressing the impacts of climate change, the environment minister said on Tuesday.

The South Asian country is highly vulnerable to climate change, especially in its coastal regions, which face severe drinking water shortages due to rapidly rising sea levels. Saltwater intrusion has salinized both surface water and groundwater, leaving many coastal districts without access to safe drinking water for several months each year.

To address the situation, the Bangladeshi government is planning to introduce a system of rainwater harvesting plants in two coastal districts, Khulna and Satkhira.

Syeda Rizwana Hasan, adviser for environment, forest, and climate change to the interim Bangladeshi government — effectively serving as the environment minister — told Arab News that it would be the first project of its kind by a Bangladeshi administration.

“We would like to see if there is any possibility of getting into a partnership with the Kingdom of �������� on this. If it materializes and we get into some partnership, then we will be able to supply potable water to no less than 10 million people,” Hasan said, as she departed Dhaka to attend the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s Water Ministers Meeting in Jeddah.

�������� has developed expertise in rainwater harvesting due to its arid climate, scarce freshwater resources, and growing water demand from urbanization and agriculture.

While rainfall in most regions is irregular, the Kingdom has been employing traditional and modern solutions to capture and utilize rainwater effectively.

“�������� is supplying water to its people, operating in a very difficult water system. It knows how to overcome those barriers,” Hasan said.

Another area where Bangladesh wants to seek partnership and support is related to the Saudi and Middle East Green Initiatives — one of the Kingdom’s flagship environmental and sustainability programs under its Vision 2030.

The initiatives, which target planting billions of trees across �������� and the region over the coming decades and rehabilitate millions of hectares of degraded land, are expected to position the Kingdom as a leader in environmental stewardship.

The Bangladeshi minister will also explore potential cooperation on carbon mitigation, in which the Kingdom could support forest projects in Bangladesh.

“We know that the Kingdom of �������� is planning to green itself,” Hasan said. “In that process of greening, we are trying to find out whether the Bangladesh Forest Department, with extensive experience in plantation, can be of any assistance, technical assistance to ��������.”