Rivers and the Environment are constantly being destroyed in the Name of Various Development Projects
Bangladesh news: The rivers and environment of the country are always being destroyed in the name of various projects. Which is in no way acceptable for the environment. There is no honesty in such projects. The country has a river protection law but it has not been properly implemented.
River occupation increased further during the COVID-19 period. Environmental experts claimed that the government is unable to rescue the rivers because of compromises. They called for a strong movement for the rivers and environment.
These are the words spoken by the speakers on the occasion of World Earth Day -2021 on the webinar titled ‘River Management in Bangladesh: Which Way is Government?’ The conference was jointly organized by Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA) and Bangladesh Environment Network.
Advocate Sultana Kamal, a human rights activist and president of BAPA, said, “The country’s resources are being used in the name of various projects without any consideration of public opinion. The government is destroying the rivers and environment of the country in the name of various projects. Which is not desirable to us in any way.”
During his keynote speech Professor Md. Khalequzzaman at the Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania, said,” The government does not have an accurate account of the number of rivers and streams in the country. Even after making so many Polders in the country, the flood could not be controlled.”
“The old idea of controlling floods with different types of embankments in the country has not gone out of the minds of policymakers yet. The High Court of Bangladesh has declared the river to be a living entity, so how can a living entity be crippled by cutting off its limbs? Isn’t the judgment of the High Court being questioned?” he questioned.
“Teesta project is not based on science,” he comments. “The details of the Feasibility study of the billion-dollar China -Teesta project to make public,” he demanded.
Nazrul Islam, Founder of BEN, said, “All the projects in the country are implanting unplanned.” “Transparency in all types of projects in the country, public participation of its, and allocation, including expenses to be discloses for the peoples” he demanded.
M Firoz Ahmed, Vice-president of BAPA, said, “It should not take up any project without science-based research.”
Mujibur Rahman Hawlader, Former chairman of the National River Conservation Commission, Bangladesh, said, “At present, no law of river management is working.”
“No development can do against the law. Bangladesh Government to take initiative to discuss the adopted master plan with the concerned policymakers,” he advised.
Sharmin Murshid, a member of the National River Protection Committee, said, “Government agencies are becoming more and more corrupted in implementing the project.” “The state itself destroying the country’s rivers. The government has enacted river protection laws but is not implementing them properly. River occupation increased further during the COVID-19 period,” she remarked.
Faridul Islam, president of the Teesta Raksha Sangram Committee (Teesta Protection Truggle Committee), said, “We haven’t found any proof whether there has been any survey on the Teesta Barrage Project to the local water development board. A lot of money has been wasted on the country through the Teesta Dam project.”
Among others, Saiful Paiker, Ziaur Rahman, BAPA executive member MS Siddiqui, Rafiqul Alam, and others spoke in the virtual meeting.
