Prime Minister Khaleda Zia yesterday sought regional and international cooperation as a requisite for success in maintaining environmental balance through a national initiative.
She said the onus of protecting the earth lies with all.
"We would be able to keep this world safe from an environmental catastrophe only if we realise this truth and act accordingly," the Prime Minister said at the national function in observance of the World Environment Day 2005 at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre.
She reiterated that if any incident destructive to the environment and ecology takes place in even the farthest corner of this planet, its effect can cascade over other places. She cited as a burning example the blistering heat wave sweeping across the country for the last few days.
"If we look at the records of the past few years, it would appear that the extremes of nature like heat waves, cold waves, floods and other types of natural disaster are on the rise throughout the globe," she told the function.
Ministers, MPs, diplomats, representatives of various development-partner organisations, environment experts, NGo personalities and senior government officials were present on the occasion.
The PM said it will not be enough to observe Environment Day only once a year environment has to be taken care of on all 365 days of the year, which is imperative not only for present but also for the future generations.
'Green Cities-Plan for the Planet' is the theme of this year's World Environment Day.
Now nearly half the world population lives in urban areas and the
proportion will be more than 60 percent by 2030, the function was informed.
Khaleda said the government has undertaken a long-term 20-year plan titled "Dhaka Environment Programme" to check pollution in Buriganga and other rivers around Dhaka and for overall management of environment.
She said air pollution got reduced in the city following the banning of two-stroke autorickshaws. As a result, prevalence of a number of diseases decreased, saving 25 million US dollars annually on account of healthcare.
The PM informed the function that her government has taken a project aimed at further reducing air pollution in Dhaka, Narayanganj and divisional cities.
Under this project, modern equipment have been set up in Dhaka to measure ambient air quality continuously and similar instrument will be set up in
Chittagong soon, she said.
Laws will also be framed for keeping the discharge of vehicular pollutants within tolerable limits to improve the quality of public health.
Khaleda also told the function that a draft rule for controlling noise pollution has been prepared that would be finalised after consultations with mass people.
She said her government has identified five environment-related issues as crucial at the national level. These are land degradation, water pollution and scarcity, air pollution, bio-diversity and natural disaster.
Listing efforts and programmes of the government to make the divisional headquarters like the capital Dhaka and port city Chittagong as well as other large towns greener and cleaner, Khaleda said Dhaka is now more beautiful than at any other time before.
"This claim is not merely ours
everybody who came to visit this country in recent times, including foreign guests and expatriate Bangladeshis, said so."
Shesaid they viewed that environment consciousness of citizens, their initiatives and creativity would play a vital role in building beautiful, clean and green cities and believed that they would be successful in environmental management and building green cities in future involving all sections of people.
The Prime Minister also inaugurated an Environment Fair at the BCFCC and went round some stalls.
Presided over by the Environment and Forest Minister, Tariqul Islam, the function was also addressed by Finance Minister Saifur Rahman, State Minister for Environment Zafrul Islam Chowdhury and UNDP country representative Jorgen Lissner.