Speakers at a discussion on Tuesday urged the government for allocating more money for scaling up the disaster resilience of the coastal regions. Speaking at the inauguration of a photo exhibition and a discussion meeting at the Jatiya Press Club, they also noted that the government has limited resources and the rich countries should come forward with the assistance in the connection. The photo exhibition and the discussion meeting was jointly organised by COAST Trust and Counter Photo to mark the 23rd anniversary of the April 29 (1991) Cyclone. In his keynote presentation about the condition of Bhola island in the coastal region, Shawkat Ali Tutul of COAST Trust said studies reveal that at least Tk 60 billion is required to permanently save Bhola island from regular tidal surge and cyclones. The government should prioritize protecting the people and resources in the coastal areas from the natural disasters, he stressed. Speaking on the occasion, Deputy Minister for Environment and Forests Abdullah Al Islam Jacob said, “Bangladesh is one of the worst affected countries of climate change. And we are not compensated as promised by the rich countries according to their historical responsibility.” Member of parliament Talukdar M Yunus said the country needs a long-term plan to have a permanent protection to the coastal region from the natural disasters. – UNB
