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PM outlines green plan

Says regular talks with India to help sane rivers

UNB, Dhaka
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday vowed to build a 'Green and Blue Bangladesh’ through massive afforestation and preserving the country's rivers, canals and water bodies.
The premier also stressed the need for regular talks with neighbouring India over Bangladesh's share of water in 54 common rivers including theTeesta. FROM PAGE 16
Bilateral talks with India are going to start at various levels soon over the two countries’ share in the common rivers, she said.
"I hope Bangladesh's bilateral talks with India will be successful. The rivers are just like arteries of human body. When the arteries are blocked, the way people struck by heart attack, we as a nation may suffer heart attack if we fail to save our rivers," she said.
She made the remarks while addressing the inaugural ceremony of the 18th National Council-2009 and / the 34th Council Meet of the Institution of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh (IDEB) at its auditorium in the morning.
The PM revealed a special plan for building a modern Dhaka by expanding its peripheries and developing four suburbs surrounding the capital.
Besides, she said, the government is going to take initiatives soon to clean up the riverbeds of the Shitalakhya, Buriganga. Balu and Turag to save the rivers from deadly pollution.
She said the government will clean up polythene and coconut groves from the Buriganga River, and raise and construct its banks, including constructing walkways for people.
Hasina again warned of stern actions against those who will fell trees damaging the country's environment and bio-diversity.
"We want to see a green and blue Bangladesh. We'll restore navigability of rivers apart from ensuring that there will be green trees everywhere in Bangladesh-both in cities and villages.
"Rivers with their blue waters and trees with their greeneries will make the Green and Blue Bangladesh." the PM said.
Hasina said there are over 700 rivers in Bangladesh and they are the lifelines of the country.
About the repeated incidents of tree felling in the country's coastal areas, the PM said the miscreants will have to be given such punishment so that they never dare to damage the country's environment.
Hasina also directed the authorities concerned not to give permission to any housing project if the developers do not include measures to protect water bodies and plants saplings in their housing projects.
The government through its National Dredging Committee has planned for massive dredging of the country's major rivers and maintaining those, Hasina told her audience.
About construction of embankments, the PM said from now no agricultural lands will be used for building embankments. "Instead, the embankments will be constructed with the mud that will come from river dredging."
After dredging the rivers, the reclaimed lands will be
used for industrialisation and house construction, she said.
For example, she said, if the Jamuna River is dredged, then its 11 kilometre-long width can be reduced to 4 kilometres through deepening its riverbed and thus it will be able to contain huge water. Besides, huge lands will be reclaimed.
"A deeper Jamuna will contain huge water and if we can construct the riverbanks, then people will be safe from recurring floods and water surge," she said.
Hasina also stressed the need for gradually reducing the use of groundwater and increasing the use of solar energy for a safe and healthy future.
The PM emphasised dredging the Garai River for protecting the Sundarbans and its wildlife, including the breeding point of Royal Bengal Tiger, as well as the agricultural lands from high salinity.
She regretted that the last Awami League government was about to complete the dredging of the Garai, but the BNP-Jamaat government stopped the dredging works.
Addressing the function, the premier asked the audience to implement the government's development programmes with utmost sincerity and greater pace.
Presided over by IDEB executive committee president M R Khairul Umam, the function was also addressed by its general secretary Engineer Kazi Nazrul Islam.