Unplanned embankment poses threat to river
The ongoing construction of an embankment on the Sandhya river in Barishal has sparked outrage among locals who believe the structure will damage the river crucial to their livelihoods. Locals in Banaripara
Daily Star (Bangladesh)
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Acute water crisis hits city areas
Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Wasa) blamed Dhaka Electric Supply Authority (Desa) for the frequent disruption in water supply to different parts of the capital city during Ramadan. The acute water crisis has almost paralysed the normal life in the city recently despite the authorities' assurance about smooth supply of water during the holy month. "Desa is 90 percent responsible for the present water crisis as water supply is being disrupted due to massive load-shedding," a top official of Wasa told UNB when asked about the severe water crisis.
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'Introduce food rationing to tackle price hike'
Leaders of Workers' Party of Bangladesh yesterday urged the government to introduce food rationing system immediately in order to tackle the prevailing price hike during Ramadan. Criticising the government for its failure to control the prices of essentials during the holy month, they said it has also failed to improve the law and order situation and curb corruption as well. The leaders said this at the first day of a two-day central committee meeting at its party office in the city.
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Low-lying areas in citys eastern part flooded
Many low-lying areas in the eastern part of the capital went under floodwater yesterday and more areas are likely to be inundated in the next couple of days as rivers around the city started flowing over danger levels from Thursday. "Low-lying Areas in Dohar and Nawabganj are already under water. More areas are likely to be inundated if the Balu, the Shitalakhya, the Turag, the Dhaleswari and the Tongi canal keep swelling," said Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) Assistant Engineer Arifuzzaman last evening.
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The climate war (editorial)
THOSE who keep in touch with Hollywood science-fiction movies know about the film "Star Wars," and worry about the earth being attacked by aliens. By analysing different wars over the last two decades, many political analysts came to a consensus that they were for establishing control over valuable natural resources such as oil, fresh water etc. to secure future consumption of mighty nations in the prevailing or upcoming climate contingencies. Therefore, we can define these wars as "Climate Wars."
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'Bangladesh to be one of most vulnerable countries'
Speakers at a press conference yesterday called for raising awareness among the people about the worst possible impact of climate change in the Bangladesh. They said it is a must to involve the common people in risk reduction management through their empowerment. The press conference was organised by NGO Coordination Council for Climate Change (NC4) at the National Press Club in the city in association with Bangladesh Disaster Preparedness Centre (BDPC). The NC4 has been formed recently to maintain a network among the NGOs working on climate change issue in the country.
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Renewable energy policy on cards
The government is set to make a policy on renewable energy to facilitate development of the sector to meet 10 percent of the country's total power demand by 2020. The policy 'Renewable Energy Policy of Bangladesh' is expected to receive the green light from the council of advisers in two months, a senior official of Power Cell told The Daily Star on Wednesday.
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Develop forecasting tech for agri planning, management
Disaster management experts at an international seminar yesterday underscored the need for developing monthly and seasonal flood forecasting technologies for agricultural planning and management, as climatic changes are likely to affect agriculture badly. They also suggested validating and disseminating the already developed know-how of forecasting flood ten days ahead and emphasised on special attention on the flash flood areas.
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Farmers block highways for fertiliser in Faridpur, Jessore
Farmers yesterday blocked highways in Faridpur and Jessore demanding adequate supply of fertilizer. In Faridpur, farmers barricaded the Dhaka Khulna highway at Modhukhali for about an hour in the morning, disrupting traffic, reports a correspondent. They put trees on the road to obstruct traffic, keeping several hundred vehicles stranded on both sides. Source there said over 1,000 farmers waited in a long queue in front of a dealers shop at Bagat Bazar since morning.
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Solve housing problem of urban poor
Although the urban poor contribute significantly to urban economy, their problems, specially the housing problem, is never considered seriously by any government, said the speakers at a workshop in the city on Sunday. They said the urban poor live in slums and are subject to frequent evictions. The workshop titled 'House for the urban poor: Past experiences and present needs' was organised by Onneyshan, an NGO, with the assistance of Manusher Jonno Foundation at Dhaka Reporters Unity.