Govt approves 29 projects to address growing threats

FE REPORT

The government has approved 29 new projects under the Bangladesh Climate Change Trust Fund (BCCTF) to address the growing threats posed by climate change.

The approval was given at the 62nd meeting of the BCCTF trustee board, held at the environment ministry with its Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan in the chair.

Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (Retd.) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, Women and Children and Social Welfare Affairs Adviser Sharmin S Murshid, and Cabinet Secretary Sheikh Abdur Rashid, among others, were present.

These projects have been designed to strengthen climate resilience, conserve environment, and promote sustainable agricultural and urban development, according to the environment ministry.

Key initiatives of the projects include research on carbon emissions and climate-resilient agriculture in Bangladesh's haor wetlands as well as development of eco-friendly technologies to enhance dairy production. The impact of climate change on plant phenology in four ecological hotspots will also be studied.

Additionally, the projects will focus on improving onion seed storage and production, adopting climate-smart agricultural technologies in char, haor, and coastal regions, and restoring water-bodies in the country's major urban centers like Dhaka, Chattogram, Khulna, Rajshahi, and Sylhet. Afforestation along five canals in Narayanganj and conservation efforts in Gazipur's Lobonadaha Canal are also planned.

To ensure access to clean drinking water in remote regions, solar-powered deep tube-wells will be installed in Rangamati, while safe drinking water initiatives will be introduced for affected communities in Bandarban.

Other notable projects include providing subsidised jute bags as an alternative to plastic, expansion of palm and mangrove plantations, biodiversity conservation, and research on antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

The projects will be implemented by various government agencies and research institutions, including the Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Board, the Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology at the University of Chittagong, the Department of Public Health Engineering, the Bangladesh Agricultural University, the Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute, and the Department of Environment, among others.

Speaking at the meeting, Syeda Rizwana Hasan emphasised the need for a coordinated approach to tackling climate change.

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