Climate change impacts in Bangladesh
With the Himalayas to the north and the Bay of Bengal to the south, Bangladesh sits on one of the world’s largest and most densely populated deltas, where the Jamuna, Padma and Meghna rivers converge.
Bangladesh
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ADB sets new poverty line for Asia
Asian Development Bank (ADB) has offered new ways to measure poverty in Asia and Pacific and fixed US$1.35 a day as a new poverty line for the region. In a report released on Wednesday, the ADB provided a comparable rates of poverty using price data specific to the Asia and Pacific region, and, critically, to the poor.
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Bargain for provision of int'l migration of climate refugees
Speakers at a dialogue yesterday said the term 'Climate change adaptation' should not only mean coping with the changed situation but upgradation of living standards despite the adverse impact of global warming. While negotiating with the developed countries in various international conferences, Bangladesh should bargain for the provision of international migration of the climate refugees, they added.
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Traffic jam costs Tk 15,000cr a year
Traffic congestion causes over Tk 15,000 crore loss to the economy each year while road accidents result in more than 4,000 fatalities. Maj Gen (retd) Ghulam Quader, the communications adviser, said this yesterday at an international symposium and workshop on 'Sustainable Transport for Developing Countries'. The symposium is being organised by Civil Engineering Department of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) in association with Loughborough University, UK and Hiroshima University, Japan. The programme is supported by WBB trust and British Council.
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Mega transport project for greater Dhaka kicks off
The government yesterday launched a long-term mega project to establish an integrated environment-friendly traffic management system in greater Dhaka to relieve people of the nagging traffic congestion. The 20-year Strategic Transport Plan (STP) includes 17,400 square km of water and surface ways in Dhaka and neighbouring Narayanganj, Narsingdi, Munshiganj, Gazipur and Manikganj districts.
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Fisheries dev programme launches in Ctg
An eight-day long " Fisheries Resources Development Programme-08" was launched in the port city on Sunday aimed at motivating people to contribute more in expanding fish cultivation. Chittagong District Administration and Chittagong Fisheries Department (CFD) jointly organised the function as per the national programme. Additional Deputy Commissioner (general) of Chittagong S M Alahi formally inaugurated the programme as the chief guest by freeing spices of Rui fish in Laldighi pond at 11 am in presence of a large number of fishermen.
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Poor indoor air major child killer'
A major portion of premature deaths, especially of children under five years of age, is attributable to indoor air pollution, after water-borne and sanitation-related disease in Bangladesh, says a joint study by the government and the World Bank. The study claims that poor indoor air quality due to the traditional cooking practices create high risk and directly affect the lactating and young children along with the mother. Such health risk is currently assessed as one of the challenges faced by Bangladesh in attaining health-related targets of the UN Millennium Development Goals.
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Work on 20-year STP begins today
The government is going to implement the 20-year Strategic Transport Plan with the aim to free the capital from nagging tailbacks. The project will be implemented on a stretch of 17,500 square kilometres of area in the Dhaka city and Narayanganj, Munshiganj, Narsingdi, Gazipur and Manikganj districts under a proper transport plan. The chief adviser, Fakhrudin Ahmed, will inaugurate the implementation of the STP today. The communications adviser, Ghulam Quader, and secretary of the Roads and Railways Department will also spoke on the occasion.
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Strong earthquake felt
An earthquake was felt at the Dhaka Seismic Centre at Agargaon at 07 hours 34 minutes and 53.18 seconds Bangladesh Standard Time Wednesday. The intensity of the earthquake was 6.4 on the Richter scale which was strong in magnitude, said a Met Office press release. The location of the earthquake was near Lake Baikal region in Russia and the distance of the epicentre was 3,190km north- northeast from the Dhaka Seismic Centre, the release added.
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The cost of food (editorial)
THAT, according to World Bank estimates, the recent rise in food prices has pushed as many as four million people back into poverty, merely puts a number on a crisis that we have all been well aware of for quite some time now. However, diagnosing the problem is not the issue before us, the issue is what steps can be taken to address this serious and on-going crisis.
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Rail tracks go under water in city for poor drainage
The railway lines between Gandaria Railway Station and Jurain Bazar go under water at least at 10 places after a heavy shower due to lack of proper drainage system. This could cause train accidents. Locals blame filling up of water bodies, construction of illegal structures beside the lines and lack of proper drainage system for the problem. The Dhaka-Narayanganj train service is sometimes postponed when the stagnant rainwater rises above the rails, said an official of Bangladesh Railway.