By James Reinl UN, Sep 7 2019 (IPS) – Forest fires, droughts and other forms of land degradation cost the global economy as much as 15 trillion dollars every year and are deepening the climate change crisis, a top United…
Category: Natural
Fire at EC office damages EVMs earmarked for Rangpur poll
Dhaka, Sept 9 – The fire at the Election Bhaban has damaged a large number of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) which were meant to be used in the upcoming Rangpur-3 by-election on October 5.
Committee formed to probe fire at Nirbachan Bhaban
A five-member committee has been formed to investigate the fire incident at Nirbachan Bhaban, the headquarters of the Election Commission on Sunday.
Unexpected fire at Nirbachan Bhaban basement at midnight
Dhaka, Sept 8 – Nirbachan Bhaban, the headquarters of the Election Commission of Bangladesh, caught fire in the city’s Agargaon area on Sunday around midnight.
Women in water utilities: Breaking barriers
Water and sanitation service providers must harness all available talent to achieve their goals. Removing barriers to female employment in the sector has numerous benefits not only for women, but for utilities as well.
Scientific hub planned to protect ocean carbon ecosystems
Dhaka, Sept 6 (UNB) – Australian Foreign Minister Senator Marise Payne has announced the establishment of a new Perth-based scientific hub that will allow experts from across the Indian Ocean rim to protect the health of ocean carbon ecosystems such…
Achieving global consensus on how to slow down loss of land
By Ranjit Devraj New Delhi, Sep 4 2019 (IPS) – Expectations are high, perhaps too high, as the 14th Conference of the Parties (CoP 14) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), now into the third day of…
Family of 5, teens among 34 presumed dead in dive boat fire
Santa Barbara, Sep 4 (AP/UNB) — High school students, a science teacher and his daughter, an adventurous marine biologist and a family of five celebrating a birthday are among those presumed dead after a fire engulfed a scuba diving boat…
Eastern Caribbean takes up strategy for blue-green economy
By Jewel Fraser Saint Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago, Sep 3 2019 (IPS) – Micro, small and medium enterprises as well as niche markets and experiences such as bee tourism may well hold the key for the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean…
Different kinds of dam floods affecting India this monsoon
September 2, 2019 SANDRP Different kinds of Dam Floods is affecting India this monsoon. Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP) Dam, thanks to decision of the Govt of India and its Ministry of Water Resources, Narmada Control Authority including its Chairperson UP…
Cleaning Dhaka’s air: Brick kilns blamed for 58pc pollution
Dhaka, Sept 2 (UNB) – The government has taken a series of measures to tackle air pollution in the capital and protect the environment, said Environment, Forests and Climate Change Minister Md Shahab Uddin. In an interview with UNB, he…
Bolsonaro bans fires for land cleaning in Brazil to Amazon only
Rio De Janeiro, Sept 01 (AP/UNB) — Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is partially backtracking on a decree that banned most fires for land-clearing for 60 days, now saying the ban will only apply to the Amazon region. The government on…
Accept basin-wide management formula for common rivers: IFC
Dhaka, Aug 30 – Bangladesh and India need to opt for sustainable management of rivers to keep those alive from the points of origin to their outfall into the sea through basin-wide management which is now the universally accepted formula…
Sustain water resources, deliver service, build resilience
JENNIFER J. SARA The global water crisis is a matter of too much, too little, and too polluted. Flooding, drought, dirty waterways—all have made the news these past 12 months.
G7 leaders vow to help Brazil fight fires, repair damage
Rio De Janeiro, Aug 26 (AP/UNB) — Leaders of the Group of Seven nations said Sunday they are preparing to help Brazil battle fires burning across the Amazon region and repair the damage as tens of thousands of soldiers got…
G7 leaders vow to help Brazil fight fires, repair damage
Rio De Janeiro, Aug 26 (AP/UNB) — Leaders of the Group of Seven nations said Sunday they are preparing to help Brazil battle fires burning across the Amazon region and repair the d amage as tens of thousands of soldiers…
Amazon fires stir bitter dispute over who is to blame
Rio De Janeiro, Aug 22 (AP/UNB) — As fires raged in the Amazon rainforest, the Brazilian government on Thursday denounced international critics who say President Jair Bolsonaro is not doing enough to curb massive deforestation. The growing threat to what…
How to bring the Indus Delta back to life – Give it water
By Zofeen Ebrahim Reprint Karachi, Aug 21 2019 (IPS) – Gulab Shah, 45, is having sleepless nights. He and his family are worried about their imminent migration from their village in Jhaloo to a major city in Pakistan, thanks to…
New IPCC land report – contentious issues raised, resolved
Delhi, 21 August (Indrajit Bose) — Several contentious issues arose prior to the adoption of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s Summary for Policy Makers (SPM) of the Special Report on Climate Change and Land. The SPM was adopted…
‘Dhaka, Delhi for mutually acceptable water sharing formula’
Dhaka, Aug 20 – Terming the Bangladesh-India partnership as ‘role model’ for South Asia and for the world, visiting Indian external affairs minister Dr. S. Jaishankar yesterday said both the counties are looking forward to making progress to find mutually…
BD Paper Mill shut to save lone carp spawning Halda River
Dhaka, Aug 18 (UNB) -The Department of Environment (DoE) here on Sunday ordered the closure of Asian Paper Mills for polluting the Halda River, the country’s largest fish spawning ground. DoE director (Chattogram) Azadur Rahman Mollick said a team from…
Several thousand families homeless in Mirpur – 7 slum fire
Dhaka, Aug 17 (UNB) – There is nothing new in slum fire in Dhaka city. When it happens, it leaves thousands of people in deep despair. Over 20,000 slum dwellers turned paupers within hours in Friday night’s fast-moving fire in…
Stand by Mirpur slum fire victims: Dr Kamal
Dhaka – Gonoforum President Dr Kamal Hossain on Saturday urged the government and social organisations to come forward in aid of the victims of Friday’s fire at a slum in the city’s Mirpur-7 area. “Thousands of people are living under…
BNP demands fair probe into Mirpur Section 7 slum fire
Dhaka, Aug 17 (UNB) – BNP on Saturday demanded a fair and neutral investigation into Friday’s fire at a slum in the city’s Mirpur-7 area as such incidents are on the rise. Talking to reporters after visiting the fire-ravaged slum,…
Mirpur slum fire doused after 6 hours: Shaties gutted
Dhaka, Aug 17 – The massive fire that broke out at a slum in Mirpur-7 of the city on Friday was doused early Saturday after six hours of efforts by firefighters.
Lalbagh polythene factory fire guts a number of tinsheds
Dhaka, Aug 15 (UNB) – A fire that broke out at a polythene factory in Lalbagh on Wednesday night was put out on early Thursday. Ershad Hossain, duty officer at Fire Service and Civil Defence control room, said firefighters extinguished…
The soul of water: Spiritualism can redeem our dying rivers
Sudhirendar Sharma The Ganga’s sacredness doesn’t guarantee its purity, as devotees draw a distinction between material cleanliness and ritual purity. Paradox! Exploiting the very source of life for economic and political gains has reduced our individual and collective relationship with…
Dhaka, Delhi for joint study on Ganges Barrage project
7 common rivers’ water-sharing issues discussed Dhaka, Aug 8 – Bangladesh and India on Thursday agreed to conduct a joint study on Ganges Barrage project and formed a technical committee to finalise the terms of reference (ToR) and constitute a…
Our poisonous air is harming our children’s brains: HRW
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says almost 700,000 children under five die each year as a result of air pollution. Millions more are being condemned to a life of ill health because of the damage it does to their developing…
70 shanty houses gutted in N’ganj slum fire
At least 70 shanties were gutted in a fire that broke out in a slum near Narayanganj Zila Parishad office here early Friday. Abdullah Al-Arefin, deputy assistant director of Narayanganj Fire Service and Civil Defense, said the fire broke out…