Fifty-Two percent of the Sundarbans were declared as protected to save the Forest: Forest Minister, Bangladesh
Md. Shahab Uddin, Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MOEFCC), Bangladesh, said,” Fifty-two percent of the Sundarbans were declared a protected area, and banned all types of forest resource extraction.”
He said these things in a national dialogue entitled ‘Demand of integrated initiatives to prevent humanitarian disasters due to Climate Crisis-Poverty-Vulnerability in Southwest Coastal Region’ organized by Sundarbans and Coast Protection Movement recently held at Parliament Members Club of National Parliament, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
The Environment Minister said, “The government has taken various activities to protect wild animals, including tigers, deer, dolphins, and crocodiles of the Sundarbans, and declared a sanctuary area for them.
In addition, the (MOEFCC), Bangladesh has taken projects or programs related to capacity building and human resource development of local communities at the grassroots level to deal with the risks of climate change in coastal areas.
Adopted appropriate programs and implemented them to alleviate poverty by increasing the capacity of the local community. Four new and 84 ponds have been re-excavated to feed water to foresters, forest workers, and wildlife within the coastal Sundarbans.”
“Bangabandhu had said that more trees should plant in coastal areas and green belts should build. Following the path indicated by the Father of the Nation, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government is taking and implementing timely measures to deal with the risk of climate change in coastal areas, including the Sundarbans.
To protect the life and property of the people in the coastal areas during natural high tides, the government has created a green belt through extensive afforestation along the coast. So far, 2 thousand 277 square kilometers of char (island) afforestation has been done in the coastal area.
Bangladesh Climate Change Trust Fund (BCCTF) has been formed to increase local people’s capacity to deal with climate change risks and innovate and expand climate-tolerant technologies as a unique initiative of the Prime Minister. About 800 projects have been financed by this fund so far,” the minister added.
In the event, the victims of the coastal areas complained that they must travel one and a half to two kilometers to collect fresh water for Drinking, which creates great difficulty in their day-to-day life.
Much of the day spend collecting drinking water. They sometimes try to collect rainwater in drums for consumption. They also said that dams need to be lowered and stronger. They demanded to build dams higher and more durable.
Rafiqul Islam Azad, the Former President of Dhaka Reporters Unity, said, “The southwest coast should declare a disaster zone. Special allocation should give to them.
Because there is a lack of fresh water, cyclone shelters in coastal areas will not coordinate like the rest of the country. Coasts should prioritize as disaster areas, and cyclone shelters should build higher there.”
Matilda Tina Vaidya, Representative of Kirk in Acting, said, “Priority should give to women and children in coastal areas. Special provisions should make for them. At the same time, Embankments should build sustainably.”
Ahsan Wahid of the Foundation for Humanity said, “Along with women and children, preference should give to the disabled in that area. They need special support.”
Sharif Jamil, General Secretary of Bangladesh Poribesh Bachao Andolon (BAPA), said, “Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had been told that the Sundarbans must protect by planting trees earlier in 1972.
Tidal water is entering due to the breaching of dykes in many areas. They should build with robust capabilities. Nature and the environment must be understood scientifically. Otherwise, it will be useless to us.’’
