City Desk :
Water Resources and Environment, Forest and Climate Change Advisor Syeda Rizwana Hasan has directed the concerned departments to formulate an action plan with a target to make the country’s rivers pollution and encroachment free within next two months.
“Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB), BIWTA, National River Conservation Commission and Divisional Commissioners have been asked to formulate a time-bound, cost-effective action plan in line with the apex court directives after enlisting all the rivers within next two months aiming to make it pollution and illegal encroahment free”, she said, reports BSS.
The water resources advisor’s instructions came following a virtual inter-ministerial meeting titled “determining the actual number of rivers in Bangladesh and ensuring protection of endangered rivers from encroachment and pollution” held here last night.
She mentioned that the jointly prepared list must be published on the website to allow public opinions and objections. Any objections must be addressed through hearings where necessary.
She also directed the authorities to identify at least one river in each of the 64 districts and prepare a time-bound, cost-effective action plan within the next two months to evict illegal encroachments and later conduct coordinated operations for river eviction.
Conducted by Water Resources Secretary Nazmul Ahsan, the meeting also was addressed, among others, by Brigadier General (Retd.) M. Sakhawat Hossain, Advisor to the ministry of Shipping and Textiles and Jute, as well as Secretaries from the Environment, Land and Shipping ministries, Chairman of BIWTA, Director Generals of the Department of Environment and the Directorate of Land Records and Survey, representatives of the National River Conservation Commission.