Minister seeks UAE support for saline water conversion

Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan on Tuesday proposed a pilot project in Cox’s Bazar with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to convert saline water into safe drinking water.

Highlighting future water security challenges, the minister warned that excessive dependence on groundwater could threaten the availability of safe water in the coming years. He sought UAE cooperation in developing a system to turn saline water into quality drinking water to help address the challenge.

Moyeen Khan made the proposal during a courtesy meeting with UAE Ambassador to Bangladesh Abdullah Ali Al-Hamdi at his office in the Secretariat on Tuesday.

The minister also stressed the need to increase UAE investment in Bangladesh. He said making large initial investments could be difficult for Bangladesh, adding that foreign investment with opportunities for phased repayment would be beneficial to the country.

At the beginning of the meeting, the minister briefed the ambassador on the challenges facing Bangladesh’s democratic transition.

The UAE ambassador highlighted the significant contribution of Bangladeshi workers to the UAE’s development. Considering the demands of the UAE labour market, he stressed the need to export skilled manpower and sought Bangladesh’s cooperation in this regard.

The ambassador also called for increasing imports of high-quality limestone from the UAE by reducing the applicable taxes. Moyeen Khan assured him that he would inform the relevant authorities about the matter.

Shahmina Isha Mannan, UAE economic analyst in Bangladesh, Shibir Bichitra Barua, director general of Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation and Inspection, and senior ministry officials attended the meeting.