Saber calls for collective action against river encroachment and pollution

Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury said that we must work together to make our river pollution-free and de-encroachment.

"To get desired benefits, clearing rivers from encroachments and tackling pollution are equally important", he said.

He was speaking at a round table meeting on Climate Change, Water and Sanitation organised at Kalbela Conference Room in New Market of the capital on Saturday.

"For the sustainable development of our nation, we must prioritise water, salinity, climate, and rivers," stated Chowdhury, highlighting the interconnectedness of these factors. "Every aspect, whether it's river governance or climate change, revolves around water."

He further informed that the govt has adopted the Green and Climate Resilience Development Policy through the Ministry of Planning, consolidating all plans and investments related to climate change onto a single platform. He revealed that an allocation of Tk 37,000 crore has been made through 25 ministries to address the climate crisis in the current fiscal year.

The roundtable, chaired by Kalbela editor and publisher Santosh Sharma, featured a special guest speech by Member of Parliament Ferdous Ahmed from Dhaka-10 Constituency.

In addition, Mahfuz Kabir, Director of Research at the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies, presented the main paper.

Additional Chief Engineer of Directorate of Public Health Engineering Tushar Mohan Sadhu Khan, Country Director of Water Aid Bangladesh Hasin Jahan, Professor Mujibur Rahman of United International University also spoke