Tk 192.05b projects taken to curb environment pollution: Minister

The government would undertake 49 projects with an outlay of Tk 192.051 billion to curb environment pollution as well as improvement of environment in the next 6th five-year plan, reports BSS. State Minister for Environment and Forests Dr Hasan Mahmud said this in Parliament Tuesday in reply to a question from treasury bench member Mosammat Farida Akhtar. He also said the government has taken various steps to check environment pollution. The measures, he said, are not to give approval for setting up industries without the Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP), compelling the owners of the existing mills and factories to set up ETP, taking action against the industries responsible for pollution and the persons involved in hill cutting, and introduction of brick kilns with modern technologies. Dr Mahmud said the industries ministry has taken steps for shifting the tanneries at Hazaribag in the city to Savar Leather Industrial Estate. Besides, activities have been undertaken to control pollution of the rivers around Dhaka city, he said. The Minister further said a project titled 'the Dhaka Environment and Water' is being taken with support from the World Bank to curb pollution created through the waste disposed of by the mills and factories in greater Dhaka district. He said the government has formulated the Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (BCCSAP)-2009 to face the climate change impacts by implementing identified 44 activities in six thematic areas in BCCSAP. Besides, Dr Mahmud said, the Department of Environment has taken up 13 more projects, which have been included in the Annual Development Plan in the current fiscal. The projects included the Clean Air and Sustainable Environment (CASE) Project, the Coastal and Wetland Biodiversity Management at Cox's Bazar and Hakaluki Haor, the National ODS Phase Out Plan UNEP Component, the Bangladesh Environmental Institutional Strengthening Project, the National ODS Phase Out Plan UNDP Component, the Preparation for Second National Communication (SNC) of Bangladesh, Formulating the National Strategies on Waste Reduce, Reuse and Recycle (3R) for Bangladesh.