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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Navigability of rivers declines drastically
Operators of waterway transports have urged the government to take immediate steps for dredging of rivers the navigability of which, they said, have declined drastically on major routes blocking movement of vessels. Due to insignificant dredging, navigability of river channels across the country has shrunk to only 3,800 kilometers in the current dry-season, against 28,000 kilometers in 1971, they said.
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Call for dredging rivers to save waterways
Shipbuilders', Launch Owners' and Cargo Vessel Owners' Association yesterday urged the government to take immediate steps for dredging rivers to save the waterway transportation. The three water sector organisations that represent about 2,000 inland and coasting ships also demanded the government for zero tax facility in importing heavy capital machinery to let the ship making industry flourished. They warned that plying of water vehicles would be stopped if the government does take urgent steps to dredge riverbeds.
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Higher tobacco tax suggested
The government should impose higher tax on tobacco products to reduce their consumption, speakers suggested at a roundtable on Wednesday. Public health should get utmost importance in fixing tax rates, they said. There should be a holistic approach to reduce the consumption of such products, said economist Muzaffer Ahmed. Adulthood, stresses and strains, feelgood factors, symbol of pseudo-heroism and fashions are the reasons that lure the people into tobacco, he identified.
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'Work together to achieve MDGs in health sector'
Speakers at a workshop here yesterday said that Bangladesh could achieve different targets of millennium development goal in the health sector like total fertility rate (TFR) and others before the dateline. They urged the doctors, NGOs and private sector representatives to work unitedly for achieving the targets within the time limit. They were addressing a workshop on 'Scaling up of evidence-based practices in maternal, neonatal, child health, family planning and nutrition' at a local hotel.
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Govt to amend wildlife preservation order
The interim administration has begun work on amendments to the age-old wildlife preservation order to make it compatible with the changing global scenario, especially to comply with international norms and conventions Bangladesh has signed, an official said.
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REALISING EXTRA FARE IN CNG-RUN BUSES
The Bangladesh Road Transport Authority continued drive against collection of extra fare from passengers in CNG-run buses in Dhaka, filing 22 cases and realising Tk 19,700 in fines on Wednesday. The BRTA along with the Dhaka Metropolitan Police in their special drive also seized 10 vehicles and filed 107 cases against motor vehicles and drivers for not having valid documents and flouting traffic rules.
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Bangladesh Urged To Tap Coal Before Gas Runs Out
Experts from home and abroad asked Bangladesh on Wednesday to mine its huge coal reserves before its fast depleting natural gas reserves run out. They however urged the country to tap the resource carefully to avoid human tragedies associated with coal mining. The heavily populated Asian country faces a serious energy crisis, with lack of gas to produce electricity. The crisis is set to worsen by 2011 when its gas reserves could run out and attention is increasingly turning to its vast coal resource.
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Thoughtless tourism damaging ecosystems, natural habitats
Lack of proper guidelines has led to unplanned construction of structures in tourist sites and thoughtless commercial tourism, causing massive damages to ecosystem and natural habitat of wildlife and marine life in forests, sea and plain as well as on hills, conservationists warn. Tourism business has proliferated in recent years taking a growing number of travellers from home and abroad to major tourist attractions and exploring new spots, but operators care little about protecting the ecosystem of particular sites, they point out.
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Cyclone Nargis intensifies further
Tropical cyclone Nargis, staying west-central and adjoining southwest and southeast Bay of Bengal, has taken the shape of a very severe cyclonic storm, intensifying further Tuesday evening, said the Storm Warning Centre. After intensifying into a very severe cyclonic storm, Nargis at 10:30pm lay centred over near latitude 14.0 degrees north and longitude 85.0 degrees east about 1,155 kilometres southwest of Chittagong port, 1,090 kilometres southwest of Cox's Bazar port and 1,030 kilometres south-southwest of Mongla port.
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Body to promote telemedicine and e-Health in country
The Bangladesh Society for Telemedicine and e-Health, a newly formed organisation, on Tuesday said it would work for the promotion of e-Health and telemedicine-related services in Bangladesh.