Water experts and activists on Friday underscored the need for raising awareness about harmful effects of the Indian government plan to interlink the rivers of Assam, Bengal and Bihar and take water to the south of their country, and urged…
Category: Environment
Mass tree plantation to protect climate change: Speaker
Speakers at a profit distribution ceremony here have said tree plantation always brings economic self-reliance besides improving environment to protect the ecology retarding the desertification process.
Deadly air: Face it
By Sunita Narain I do not know how best to respond to this question. These days, concerned about the toxic air of Delhi, many parents, particularly those with children who have asthma, ask me if they should leave the city.…
Climate-sensitive planning needed for cities
Eminent urban planner Prof Nazrul Islam has stressed the need for undertaking climate-sensitive plans for the country’s cities to cope with the adverse impacts of climate change in the coming days. “When you (urban planners) will be involved in planning…
Alleged Illegal river grabber uprooted in Jhenidah
Our Correspondent Jhenidah – A mobile court led by Kaliganj upazila Assistant land officer and executive magistrate Shanaz Parvin have uprooted an alleged illegal grabbers from Chittra River’s area from Trilosonpur union area on Saturday.
Forest Deptt lacks capacity to conserve Sunderbans?
Bangladesh Forest Department has little capacity to conserve the Sundarbans, the country’s only natural tiger habitat, admits a top forest official. “The Forest Department lacks the capacity to conserve the Sundarbans…it requires more skilled manpower, arms and ammunition, and training,”…
Where ships go to die
by Mahesa Abeynayake Head of quality/ management representative/consultant, Marine Engineering, Fiji Maritime Academy. The tuk-tuk (motorised rickshaw) buzzed down the main street of Chittagong, Bangladesh, with the animated ship’s agent tucked in beside me, hands in the air and talking…
Bt brinjal cultivation in B’desh a success or propaganda
The BBC’s claim of 90% success for Bt brinjal in Bangladesh has been challenged by a journalist. Claire Robinson reports BBC Panorama’s programme, “GM Food: Cultivating Fear”, has come under attack from a Bangladeshi journalist for falsely portraying Bt brinjal…
15 organisations defending land rights
Danielle Nierenberg The increasing trend of international land grabbing—when governments and private firms invest in or purchase large tracts of land in other countries for the purpose of agricultural production and export—can have serious environmental and social consequences. Investors claim…
Only 106 tigers left in the Sundarbans in Bangladesh, says govt survey
The number of tigers in the Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest, has decreased drastically, with only around 100 to be found in the Bangladeshi part, says a new survey.The survey by Bangladesh’s forest department, with technical support from the…
Greens want integrated steps to rid Dhaka of water logging
Green activists at a programme Dhaka on Saturday demanded an integrated step to remove the perennial waterlogging problem from Dhaka city. They said the city dwellers suffer from acute waterlogging in the capital in every monsoon since the authorities give…
Dhaka won’t accept harmful projects by Delhi: Water Minister
Water Resources Minister Anisul Islam Mahmud on Thursday said the government will not accept any project by neighbouring India that may be harmful to Bangladesh. “According to media reports, India has taken a move to interlink its rivers, But, I…
Jamaat pledges Govt support to resolve common rivers issue
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami on Thursday expressed deep concern over India’s reported move to connect Teesta-Ganga-Manas-Sankosh covering three states, saying the country will turn into a desert if the neighbouring country implements it. In a statement, Jamaat acting ameer Maqbul Ahmad also…
Myanmar jails 153 Chinese illegal loggers for life
A court in northern Myanmar has sentenced 153 Chinese nationals to life in prison for illegal logging. The group were arrested in January in Kachin state, close to the Chinese border, during a military operation to crack down on illegal…
Bnp commits to back Govt for securing share of common rivers
BNP yesterday extended unconditional support to the government to realise due share of common waters. “The entire people of Bangladesh are united on the question of water sharing. There is no difference amongst Awami League, BNP, Jatiya Party or Communist…
River erosion takes serious turn in Gaibandha
With the fall of water level in the Brahmaputra, the river erosion has taken serious turn in Fulchhari and Shaghata upazilas of the district creating untold sufferings to the victims.According to sources, the river intensified its erosion at Kanchipara, Ratanpur,…
Rain ruins hope of Jessore flower farmers
Flower farmers in Jessore district are counting heavy losses as the crop has been badly damaged due to incessant rainfall for the last several days.The flower growers are frustrated as the crop has started rotting in their fields. However, the…
Rains damage flower gardens in Jessore
The Eid spirit is missing in Gadkhali, the biggest wholesale market for flowers, near here.
Rain forecast on Eid Day
The Met office has forecast possibilities of rain in many parts of Bangladesh during the Eid holidays. Meteorological Department’s weather forecast official Nijhum Ara told journalists on Friday there might be light to moderate rain on Saturday morning. “It will…
Peril looms as Assam, Bengal, Bihar rivers to be linked – Dhaka in dark
New Delhi: Moving forward with its grand plan of linking rivers across the country, India’s Centre on Monday announced that it will take up the task of connecting Manas-Sankosh-Teesta-Ganga in Assam, West Bengal and Bihar. The three states will soon…
Seas could rise 20ft even if governments curb warming: study
Sea levels could rise by at least 20 feet (6 metres) in the long term, swamping coasts from Florida to Bangladesh, even if governments achieve their goals for curbing global warming, according to a study published on Thursday.
UN postpones action to halt deforestation under industry pressure
New York: The Global Forest Coalition [1] reacted furiously to the final draft of the Sustainable Development Goals released this week. Despite the fact that most Sustainable Development Goals were agreed upon in July 2014, the latest draft, which will…
Quamrul questions newsreports that Brazil wheat were rotten
Minister for Food Advocate Quamrul Islam yesterday questioned the authenticity of newspaper reports regarding the imported wheat from Brazil describing it to be rotten. “Actually the Brazilian wheat does not look beautiful but their quality is good,” he observed while…
Eco-friendly plastic substitute could reduce dependency on fossil fuels: Indian scientists
Indian scientists have created an environmentally-friendly material from renewable natural marine resources that could eventually replace the fossil fuel-derived plastics commonly used in a variety of applications.
Over 30 nobel laureates urge rapid GHG emission cuts
More than 30 Nobel Laureates in a joint a declaration on Friday called for making rapid progress to reduce the current and future greenhouse gas emissions to minimise the risks of climate change. “Based on the IPCC assessment, the world…
Hydroelectric dams drastically reduce tropical forest biodiversity
Samir Mehta samir@internationalrivers.org Widely hailed as ‘green’ sources of renewable energy, hydroelectric dams have been built worldwide at an unprecedented scale. But research from the University of East Anglia reveals that these major infrastructure projects are far from environmentally friendly.…
China turns focus to smoky ships, boats in fight against pollution
China is considering regulating emissions from boats and ships, the environment ministry said on Monday, as it tries to clamp down on pollution.Facing mounting public pressure, leaders in Beijing have declared a war on pollution, vowing to abandon a decades-old…
Court tells Dutch government it must cut back emissions
In a landmark ruling, the law has stepped in to demand that the Netherlands does more to tackle the “imminent danger” of climate change. A Dutch court has made history by ordering the Netherlands government to make deeper cuts than…
20 Organisations raising awareness of antibiotic resistance
Danielle Nierenberg The routine use of antibiotics on livestock leads to the emergence of antibiotic resistant bacteria that can impact humans. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), in 2010, almost 52 percent of chicken breasts tested were contaminated…
Severe water crisis within next two decades, say experts
Bangladesh will face severe water crisis within next couple of decades due to random contamination of surface and ground water, absence of comprehensive water sharing with neighbouring countries and mismanagement in preserving rain water. According to water experts, although the…