Raise voice against India's river-linking project

"Bangladesh's overall environment has already experienced huge devastation due to Farakka Barrage. So, the planned linking of common rivers for withdrawal of waters unilaterally and the construction of cross-dam at Tepaimukh by India will degrade again the country's state of atmosphere heavily," he said.

Tariqul was inaugurating a regional workshop on climate change here yesterday as the chief guest.

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The workshop was organised by the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MOEF) under its "Formulation of the Bangladesh Programme of Action for Adaptation to Climate Change" programme at the PATC auditorium.

State Minister for Environment and Forest Jafrul Islam Chowdhury spoke at the inaugural session as the special guest.

With Secretary of the Ministry Dr Shoeb Ahmed in the chair, the function was also addressed by Joint Secretary Dr Mahfuzul Haq and Divisional Commissioner of Chittagong Mohammad Ashraful Makbul.

The workshop was part of a series of such programmes aiming to include the views and opinions of filed level stakeholders in fanalising a national action plan on how to adapt the climate change properly and continue the development process without harming the environment and bio-diversity.

Organisers said about 150 government officials, teachers, journalists, public representatives, farmers, physicians and development activists participated in the workshop.

Tariqul said highly industrialised and developed nations have contributed to making endangered the global environment through their reckless practice in the name of development but poor and developing nations are to bear the brunt and mostly affected due to man-made disasters.

He said at least 27 districts in Bangladesh would turn into a desert, crop production would decrease considerably, salinity at coastal region increase manifold, water crisis would be acute in dry season and the country would witness untimely flood due to India's proposed river linking project.

He said countries vulnerable to natural disasters like tidal surge, earthquake and tsunamis should find out common and effective strategies by protecting environment and bio-diversity to lessen the attack of natural fury in a bid to reduce loss of lives and properties.

He said the nation, which earned independence and rights of its language through continuous struggle and blood-bath, was born to live keeping its head high in the world and will not backtrack from its efforts to realise legitimate rights.

State Minister Jafrul Islam Chowdhury said unusual changes in the climate due to human intervention caused an adverse impact on global environment that made the world more vulnerable to natural disasters.

He said natural disasters due to unusual changes in the climate impede greatly the overall development of the developing and poor countries for their poor infrastructure, fragile economy and extreme poverty.

"So it is the proper time for the poor and developing nations to respond fast to the global efforts in mitigating the losses and formulate an effective action plan for adaptation to climate change," Jafrul said.