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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Environment polluters still unpunished
Although the Environment Cell of Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Wasa) in 2003 detected 36 industrial plants in Tejgaon Industrial Area of the capital as the main polluters of the Balu river and linked canals, no action has yet been taken against them. The list comprises 30 washing and dyeing factories, 4 soap factories, and 2 ink producing factories.
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New committee to fix fare of CNG-run buses
The government yesterday formed a high-powered committee to set the fare of CNG-run passenger buses running in Dhaka and Chittagong as the bus operators refused to accept the fare fixed by a previously formed committee. After a series of meetings with different stakeholders, a sub- committee of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) had earlier proposed the fare for one-kilometre journey at Tk 0.98. The transport leaders, however, demanded fixing Tk 1.71 per kilometre, almost double the recommended fare.
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Walk to preserve heritage sites
Daily Star 22/05/08 On the eve of celebrating 400 years of Dhaka, the city is losing its past glory to the current trend towards shiny new apartment buildings. With the aim to preserve the city's heritage sites, Urban Study Group (USG) arranged a heritage walk yesterday afternoon at Farashganj in the old part of the city. "One of the aims of our walk is to create awareness among people so that they come forward to save the heritage of the city," said Taimur Islam, a conservation architect of USG.
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Toxic textile wastes pollute Louhajang River in Tangail
Untreated toxic waste released from dying and printing units of a textile mill and a yarn dying mill in Tangail Sadar upazila is polluting Louhajang River. The pollution that goes on unabated for several years, now threatens fish, crops and greenery in the area, locals said. The local administration cannot take action against the authorities of the mills for pollution as the mills managed permission from the Directorate of Environment (DoE).
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2.5 lakh get infected with hepatitis a year
Around 2.5 lakh people get infected with hepatitis viruses a year in the country, experts at a discussion said yesterday. Hepatitis, a serious disease which affects the liver, is 100 times more infectious than HIV, they said. Liver Foundation of Bangladesh organised the discussion at the National Museum auditorium in the city to mark the World Hepatitis Day.
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Include North Rajshahi Irrigation Project in budget
Experts at a seminar here yesterday urged the government to include the proposed surface water based North Rajshahi Irrigation Project (NRIP) in the upcoming budget to increase food production in there district. They said, implementation of the Tk 860 crore project would help increase food production by 2.11 lakh tonnes by providing irrigation facility to 74850 hectares of land in Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj and Naogaon.
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'14 lakh children engaged in hazardous jobs'
The draft National Child Labour Policy, which was circulated for opinions from the stakeholders, will soon be placed before the Council of Advisers for approval, said Labour and Employment Adviser Anwarul Iqbal yesterday. "I believe once approved the policy will contribute to the elimination of child labour both in government and private institutions,' he added. The adviser was speaking as chief guest at the inaugural session of a national seminar titled 'Eradication of hazardous child labour' organised by labour and employment ministry at Biam auditorium in the city.
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UN food aid for 1.20 lakh CHT people
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has started distributing food assistance to meet the immediate food needs of over 120,000 people affected by rodent attack in Rangamati and Bandarban districts. WFP will continue to assist 25,680 households of the 31 most affected unions of the seven severely affected upazilas for a period of four months, from May to August, 2008, said a press release.
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Myanmar children could starve to death within weeks: Aid group
A leading aid group warned yesterday that thousands of young children in cyclone-ravaged Myanmar could starve to death within weeks unless emergency food supplies reach them soon. Save the Children said on its website that the youngsters could succumb to hunger "within two to three weeks". "We are extremely worried that many children in the affected areas are now suffering from severe acute malnourishment, the most serious level of hunger," said Jasmine Whitbread, chief executive of Save the Children UK.
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Work together for dev, poverty alleviation
The government, civil society members and international development partners should work together to support development, pro-poor growth and poverty alleviation. This was recommended in a three-day workshop that was held in the capital from May 12 to 14. The workshop brought together officials of different ministries, development agencies and civil society members who focused on the upcoming Second National Strategy for Accelerated Poverty Reduction (NSAPR), according to a press release issued by the Royal Danish Embassy in Dhaka on May 15.