Staff Reporter

LGRD Minister Md Tajul Islam said that Bangladesh is one of the most affected countries in the world due to climate change. While the carbon emission rate is more than six tons per capita in the developed world, Bangladesh is facing adverse effects of the climate even though it emits only 0.4 percent of the carbon.

Bangladesh is working towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals or SDGs. We are committed to creating a livable world for future generations. But the amount of financial capacity needed to implement that commitment is lacking.

The local government minister also said that developing countries including Bangladesh will have to face problems in implementing the SDGs if the developed world does not release their promised money.

Government has set up necessary water purification plants in Dhaka city. Referring to the need for water in agriculture, household and industry, he said that the sources of uninterrupted and fresh water supply should be kept safe and pollution free.  Advising everyone to be aware of water usage, the amount of fresh water is fixed, so if water is wasted indiscriminately, this resource will run out.

As Bangladesh is a downstream country, artificially changing the flow of upstream water will damage the environment and climate of Bangladesh.

Professor of Geology Department of Dhaka University presented the keynote at the seminar. Kazi Matin Uddin Ahmed and Director of BUET participated in the discussion. Tanveer Ahmed, Executive Director of NGO Forum for Public Health S. M. A. Rashid.

Swedish ambassador Alexandra Berg von Linde, UNICEF Bangladesh representative Sheldon Yate and World Health Organization representative Dr. Bardan Young Rana. The seminar was presided over by Director General of Local Government Department Mohammad Sarwar Bari.

He said this while speaking as the chief guest at a seminar titled "Accelerating Change to Solve Water and Sanitation Crisis" on the occasion of World Water Day 2023 organized by Directorate of Public Health Engineering and in collaboration with UNICEF and World Health Organization.