Dhaka – Amid concern over frequent incidents of vessel capsize in the Shela River in the Sundarbans, the government on Wednesday imposed a permanent ban on the plying of all types of vessels through the river. The recent sinking of…
Category: Natural
Coral bleaching at Barrier Reef ‘severe’: Australia
Australian authorities said Sunday coral bleaching occurring in the World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef had become “severe”, the highest alert level, as sea temperatures warm. Australian Environment Minister Greg Hunt said while the bleaching at this stage was not as…
Drastic fall in Ganges flow this season, says minister
Dhaka – Water resources minister Anisul Islam Mahmud on Sunday said Bangladesh experienced a drastic fall in the Padma River’s water flow during this dry season. ‘Generally, we get at least 65,000 Cusec (cubic feet per second) of water in…
Stop plying vessels thru’ the Sundarbans
Dhaka – National Committee to Protect Shipping, Roads & Railways (NCPSRR) on Sunday urged the concerned authority to take necessary steps to stop plying of vessels through the Shela River in Sundarbans to keep it and its bio-diversity unhurt.
Managing the politics of water
Prince El Hassan bin Talal and Sundeep Waslekar Amman – This year’s World Water Day, on March 22, provides an opportunity to highlight what in many countries has become a grim reality: The availability of fresh water is increasingly a…
Indo-Nepal Upper Karnali Hydel power dev agreement unveiled
Kathmandu: The Investment Board of Nepal (IBN) has unveiled on 14 March the Power Development Agreement (PDA) of one of the national pride projects of the country — Upper Karnali hydro power project– in the capital on Monday. The document…
Has air pollution made Kathmandu unliveable?
With smog five times worse than the levels which prompted Paris to ban cars, the capital of the supposedly pristine mountain nation of Nepal is choking. Hospital doctor Andrew Lodge reports jay’s 63-year-old frame strains with each breath. He is…
World Bank : Safe water for rural population in Bangladesh
In Bangladesh, about 20 million people still lack access to safe drinking water. Since 1998, the World Bank has supported the government to enhance access to safe water. Built on the experience of two earlier projects, the Bangladesh Rural Water…
Timely flood warnings for downstream Nepal and India
Giovanni Ortolani Communities in flood-prone areas often do not have access to information about flood forecasting. As a result, they do not have sufficient time to evacuate and put their cattle and belongings in a safe area. The new Community-Based…
Teesta matter of time, ball in India’s court: Gowher
Dhaka – Prime Minister’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Dr Gowher Rizvi has said the long-sought Teesta water sharing deal will soon become a reality and the ball is now in India’s court. “It’s wise to say we’re very, very confident that…
US warns of Mosul dam collapse in northern Iraq
The US embassy in Baghdad has warned the risk of the Mosul Dam collapsing is “serious and unprecedented” and has urged people to be ready to evacuate. Maintenance work was disrupted after the dam was briefly seized by militants from…
Water, enegy-efficient investment for sustainable dev urged
Deputy Governor of Bangladesh Bank (BB) SK Sur Chowdhury has emphasised on strengthening water and energy efficiency investment for achieving sustainable development. “….mechanisms to capture the opportunities for water and energy efficiency investments need to be created or strengthened,” the…
Late winter thunder-hail storm turns city weather pleasant
Dhaka – A 10-minute long nor’wester accompanied by hailstorm and heavy rainfall swept over the capital on Wednesday. Met office sources said the storm lashed several places in the capital and its surrounding areas at about 11:50am. Hit by the…
‘Ten million without water’ in Delhi as caste riot toll rises to 16
More than 10 million people in India’s capital are without water despite the army regaining control of its key water source after protests, officials say. Keshav Chandra, head of Delhi’s water board, told the BBC it would take “three to…
Water rationed as India caste protest toll rises
At least 10 people killed as protesters from Jat community cut off water to New Delhi treatment plant, causing shortage. At least 10 people have been killed and 150 injured in protests by India’s agricultural Jat community in support of…
Unreal in pampered India
Sunita Narain Many years ago, when Delhi’s air pollution was as high as it is today, my colleague Anil Agarwal and I had gone to meet a high-ranking, responsible government official. This was in the mid-1990s, when air was black…
Teesta water falling alarmingly in Bangladesh part
The water flow of the river Teesta in Bangladesh has dropped significantly in recent times. This has had a negative impact on irrigation and other socio-economic activities of the area. Bangladesh has requested India to sign an interim agreement for…
Polluted air causes 5.5m deaths a year new research says
Jonathan Amos More than 5.5 million people worldwide are dying prematurely every year as a result of air pollution, according to new research. Most of these deaths are occurring in the rapidly developing economies of China and India.
WaterAid Chair Tim & CEO Barbara reach today
Tim Clark, the chair of Board of Trustees of WaterAid, an international non-profit organization, and Barbara Frost, chief executive officer, arrive here tomorrow on a six-day visit.
Why water governance is key to growth in Bangladesh
Reports previewed today by WWF and H&M find that the gap between water policy and implementation in Bangladesh is likely to affect the country’s economic growth. Findings suggest that national ambitions such as improved living standards, food security and textile…
Dhaka for joint river basin management
Dhaka – Terming water-sharing issue between Bangladesh and India, a “sensitive”, Bangladesh has said it is in favour of setting up of a joint basin management system for common rivers. Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Syed Muazzem Ali said this…
HC asks for info on initiatives taken on air pollution
The High Court yesterday asked the government to inform it on what steps it has been taken to tackle air pollution including, dust, smoke and other deadly elements causing damage to people’s health in Dhaka, Gazipur and Narayanganj cities.
India environment watchdog anger over Ganges pollution
India’s environment watchdog has criticised the government for failing to clean up the Ganges river. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) said it was “unfortunate” that both the federal and Uttar Pradesh governments had failed to clean the river. A petitioner…
Four-nations expert group on water management on cards
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) today decided to form an experts group for exchanging best practices in water resources management and on specifics of the identified projects, power trade, inter grid connectivity, flood forecasting and other areas of possible…
Amina J. Mohammed chair of leading WASH organization
Geneva – Tuesday, the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) announced that Amina J. Mohammed, Environment Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, will serve as its new Chair, effective as of April 5, 2016.
“Leave No One Behind” for universal, safe access – hygienic sanitation
Dhaka – The Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) and the Freshwater Action Network South Asia (FANSA) are Monday releasing a new report titled “Leave No One Behind: Voices of Women, Adolescent Girls, Elderly, Persons with Disabilities and Sanitation…
Delhi plan leapfrog to Euro VI emissions standards in 2020 welcomed
New Delhi – The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has welcomed the landmark decision of the Union government to skip Euro V emissions standards and leapfrog to Euro VI standards in 2020. With this, India will take the first…
Egypt, Ethiopia, Sudan sign new deal on Nile dam
French firms to study environmental impact of Grand Renaissance Dam as Ethiopia pledges to respect Egypt’s interests. Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan have agreed on which firms will carry out studies on the potential impact of Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam on…
Human chain to protect River Turag on Dhaka’s fringe
Environmentalists formed a 71-km-long human chain on the banks of the Turag River this morning demanding an end to pollution and grabbing of the river. The Turag flows across Tagnail, Gazipur and Dhaka districts, and is linked to the Jamuna…
Modi’s grand plan to divert Himalayan rivers faces obstacles
Ashok Swain One of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first priorities after winning an overwhelming victory last year on a platform of development and growth is to fast-track a decades-old plan to link India’s rivers. The ambitious infrastructure project, based on…