Two Mountains Concept: Lessons for Bangladesh and beyond in Environmental Protection

Al Mamun Harun Ur Rashid :

Bangladesh was once celebrated as a land of clean water, fertile fields, and lush greenery, but over the past decades, the surge of diverse development activities, rapid urbanisation, and industrialisation has begun to exact a heavy toll on the environment.

In a country of more than 175 million people, growth has become increasingly challenging, and the pressures of high population density (1333 people per square kilometer; 2024) are showing on the land, air, and water.

Every year, around 2,500 to 3,000 hectares of arable lands are being converted or used for non-agricultural purposes, while cities are swelling with people migrating from rural areas in search of work and shelter, undermining the very benefits of urbanisation.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, there were 88.29 lakh hectares of cultivable land in the country as of 2023 and now it is reducing for human need and environmental vagaries.

Even the air quality of all big cities including the capital indicates the worst ranking while noise pollution grows relentlessly exceeding 100 decibels in busy areas, far beyond the World Health Organization’s safe limit of 55 decibels for residential zones.

Water bodies—rivers, canals, and wetlands—are increasingly contaminated by industrial and household dumping.

In January, the River and Delta Research Centre (RDRC) used satellite imagery and field surveys to reveal severe pollution in the Buriganga, Turag, Shitalakhya, Balu, Tongi Canal, Karnatali, and Dhaleswari rivers.

The study identified 102 industrial waste outlets, 75 municipal sewerage lines, and 216 private sewerage outlets discharging untreated waste into these waterways.

Due to unabated pollution, public health suffers, healthcare costs rise, and both infectious and non-communicable diseases are escalating. In such a context, any development that harms the natural environment will ultimately fail to serve the people it claims to benefit.

According to the World Bank’s 2024 report, environmental degradation and pollution cost Bangladesh $62 billion in 2019, equivalent to 17.6 percent of GDP.

Over 272,000 premature deaths occur each year, and 5.2 billion workdays are lost due to pollution-related illnesses. Household and outdoor air pollution alone accounts for 8.32 percent of GDP losses.

These are not abstract numbers rather they represent lives shortened, families burdened, and a nation slowly losing its productive capacity to environmental neglect.

Dhaka, one of the fastest-growing megacities in the world, exemplifies this crisis. Thick haze blankets the city for months, the Buriganga River carries industrial effluents, and wetlands that have sustained communities for centuries are dying before the state.

Yet development continues as if these environmental collapses are minor inconveniences. If left unchecked, Bangladesh risks building prosperity only on paper, while its citizens struggle to survive in a poisoned environment.

Bangladesh has dozens of laws, regulations, and enforcement efforts, along with frequent seminars and symposiums highlighting environmental concerns. Yet, in reality, the situation continues to worsen, with no clear solution in sight.

Let’s dive into the example of China, a population of more than 1.4 billion which also faced a formidable environmental dilemma in the past decades. In the early 2000s, Beijing’s skies were thick with smog, and the choking haze made even simple outdoor activities, like walking or jogging, nearly impossible.

But in 2005, Xi Jinping, then serving as party secretary of Zhejiang Province, articulated a transformative vision that would eventually reshape China’s development strategy: “Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets.”

This insight, now widely recognised as the “Two Mountains” concept, challenged the conventional wisdom that economic growth must come at the expense of nature.

It reframed development entirely, emphasising that ecological protection and economic prosperity are not mutually exclusive but are, in fact, deeply interdependent.

The results of applying this philosophy due to its strong political will to protect humans by protecting nature have been remarkable and multifaceted.

China has immensely focused on renewable energy to cut the environmental degradation and by 2024, 56 percent of China’s electricity came from clean, sustainable sources. China is leading a new era in renewable energy, holding over 40% of global new energy patents and setting the direction for the world.

Meanwhile, villages and towns that had been abandoned for decades were revitalised through ecotourism initiatives and sustainable agricultural practices, turning once-depleted landscapes into sources of income and community pride.

Beyond its borders, China advanced global sustainability through wind projects in Kazakhstan (2015), rice-duck farming in Africa (2016), and hydropower with forest restoration in the Amazon (2017–2022).

With its dense population, fragile ecosystems, and limited resources, Bangladesh can draw valuable lessons from China’s “two mountains” concept, which the country commemorates each year on August 15 to highlight its benefits.

No system can be replicated exactly, but Bangladesh can adapt lessons from other models and apply them in ways that suit its own conditions and circumstances.

From July 27 to August 1, a high-level Chinese delegation visited Dhaka and other parts of Bangladesh to strengthen cooperation on water resource management. The team examined issues such as waterlogging, river pollution, salinity intrusion, and erosion, focusing on the Buriganga River, Bhabadah in Jashore, and Polder 31 in Khulna’s Dacope region.

This shows that Bangladesh is seeking China’s cooperation in multiple areas. Yet, examples and models can be found everywhere. What matters most is the political decision and vision – demonstrated by China – to restore the environment and protect water resources without compromise as China believes that green is gold.

However, to protect the moribund environment, Bangladesh should immediately focus on renewable energy systems to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, wastewater treatment and biogas technologies to prevent river contamination, precision agriculture to conserve soil fertility, and urban planning systems that combine high-density development with green spaces.

Restoring rivers, reforesting hills, and improving air quality can create new industries, attract tourism, improve public health, and strengthen resilience against climate change.

Just as China turned barren hills into orchards and deserts into blooming landscapes, Bangladesh can thrive without destroying its natural inheritance. The path will not be easy, but it is achievable.

(The Writer is the Diplomatic Correspondent of The New Nation)