Greening of Bangladesh

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RECENT years witnessed better tree plantation drives. But in the absence of equal enthusiasm to stop deforestation, the goals of afforestation remain elusive. Deforestation must be stopped to consolidate the afforestation programmes. Bangladesh has to go a long way to attain, at least, 25 per cent of its land under forests and vegetation, to make the country environmentally safe.

Even in the country's reserved forests, trees are still being cut down. The officials who ought to be concerned cannot deny this. They attribute such illegal tree felling to insufficient number of forest guards and their inability to counter, sometimes, the well-armed gangs engaged in poaching. The arrest of a chief conservator of forests last year, however, showed that the problem is the corruption in the forest department officials, and not so much its shortage of manpower.

The relevant ministry cannot ensure enforcement of the law and do whatever its needs to do it. With locally produced coal, it should be easier to use it in the brickfields. Besides, the government should also increase and extend supplies of natural gas extensively throughout the country to stop the use of wood. Furniture-making industries should be encouraged to use wood substitutes. Compulsory use of the substitute products could be considered.

Solar panels have been successfully introduced in some rural areas. With the government facilitating the import of solar panels and other needed equipment at a minimum duty, the use of these panels would ease the pressure on rural households to use firewood to meet their energy needs.

Nizamuddin Quasem

DOHS, Dhaka