Speakers at a discussion yesterday said living in safe environment should be ensured as a fundamental right of people enshrined in tire constitution.

Restoration of the Ilves of dying rivers, checking river pollution and maintaining their navigability is a must to ensure the right, they said, •aiding that ensuring protection of the rivers is a must to face the challenges of climate change.

"Living in a safe environment must be considered as a fundamental right of the people and should be incorporated in the constitution in addition to the existing fundamental rights. Every citizen of Bangladesh has the right to live in a safe and sustainable environment," said AL lawmaker Saber Hossain Chowdhury as the chief guest.

The discussion was titled after the theme of this year's World Environment Day 'Your planet needs you! Unite to combat climate change'.

“Food safety and safety of our agriculture cannot be ensured unless we become able to ensure safety of water," said former secretary AHM Rczaul Kabir

Saber Hossain Chowdhury, also head of the parliamentary subcommittee on the environment ministry, said the present parliamentary committee comprises lawmakers from both ruling and opposition party so that the activities regarding environment continues even after a government changes.

The discussion was jointly organised by climate change cell of the Department of Environment, Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies (BCAS), WaterAid Bangladesh (WAB) and Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon (Bapa) at Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the afternoon.

“There are a number of laws to resist environment pollution but those must be implemented and effluent treatment

plant be ensured in all the factories and must be moni tored by the government regularly,” said DrAtik Rahman.

Four papers were also presented at the discussion by the organisers Dr Dwijen Mallik of BCAS presented a paper titled 'Impact of dimate change on water resource and distribution of water', while Program Manager of climate change cell of DoE Abu M Kamal Uddin presented a paper on the title of thediscussion.

The two other papers were submitted by WAB and Bapa.

The paper presented by WAB, quoting World Commission on Water, said around 400 crore people will be facing acute water crisis in the next 30 years as water use will increase by 50 percent by that time.

The paper also recommended making special budgetary allocation for ensuring supply of safe water and introducing technologies to reduce indiscriminate use of underground water and increasing

use of surface water.

"To get away from the crisis of climate change, it would be the first step for us to save our rivers, resist river pollution and maintain their navigability,” the paper said.

The paper presented by the climate change cell recommended taking a special project in the areas like EPZ and Sundarbans and for different community people like fishermen and indigenous communitypeople.

The paper BCAS presented recommended ensuring multipurpose and reuse of water, introducing technology to preserve rainwater and ensuring rights of poor and marginalised people in water.

Bapa in its paper said changes in the climate will cause severe flooding during (he monsoon in Bangladesh and drying up of rivers in the dry season, causing degradation of water quality of the rivers.

Dr Khairul Islam of WAB also spoke.