‘Protect coastal people from tidal flood’

A group of civil society organisations held a human chain in front of the National Press Club on Saturday demanding immediate government steps to save coastal people from the devastation of tidal surge which is hitting the coastal areas along with monsoon flood. They have also demanded long term plans to protect the coastal people urging prime minister's intervention in this regard.
Rezaul Karim Chowdhury and Mostafa Kamal Akanda of EquityBD and COAST, AHM Bazlur Rahman of BNNRC, Aminur Rasul Babul of Unnayan Dhara and Mohamed Yasin of Coastal Protection Movement, among others, spoke on the occasion. Eighteen organisations participated in the rally.
They demanded emergency budgetary allocations for quick maintenance of embankments, developing fast and transparent tender process of Water Development Board (WDB) projects to reduce delay and corruption in engaging contractors to run coastal repair works.
Other demands included deployment of army in the serious affected embankment areas to stop erosion, ensure people's participation in the WDB projects and transparency in coastal project management. They also urged the government to protect the coastal people and their land as a priority agenda in the National Climate Adaptation Plan.
The participants said if the sea devours the coastal land, security to human lives and their food security will face grater challenge soon.
They also said the government and the donors sanctioned around Tk 20 billion to Climate Trust and Resilience Fund but the money was hardly used to protect coastal land and its people. The government must immediately refocus its action plan to save the people living in the sea belt areas, said a press release.