প্রকাশ: 23/04/2022
Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina on Saturday urged the Asia-Pacific countries to combine forces to
share good practices, knowledge and technologies to help address their
water-related common challenges.
She made the call in a video statement that was played at
the Fourth Asia-Pacific Water Summit held at Kumamoto in Japan.
She also said that a basin-wise approach is needed to manage
the waters of transboundary rivers.
"We attach importance to regional or sub-regional
cooperation, including for hydro-power generation and transmission," she
said.
Sheikh Hasina said that today's human beings are accountable
to future generations to deliver on their international commitments on water,
including the water-related SDGs.
"Our youths must be empowered so that they can become
responsible actors for water inclusiveness, efficiency and
sustainability," she said.
The premier said that water is vital for life and it is
fundamental for sustainable development and for promoting a culture of
peace.
"We need to ensure sound water management to
"build back better" from the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic," she
added.
She recalled that in 2016, she was a member of the UN
High-level Panel on Water that adopted a "Call to Action."
"The mid-term review of the Water Action Decade next
year will provide us a platform in implementing the action agenda," she
said adding that the Kumamoto Declaration will be a useful contribution to that
process.
In Bangladesh, she said, the government has taken an
inclusive, whole-of-society approach to water management where more than 85 per
cent of its people have access to safe drinking water and improved sanitation
facilities.
"We have almost ended open defecation. Our fight
against water-borne diseases is a continuous effort. From next month, we shall
administer 2.3 million cholera vaccines in the capital city," she said.
The premier also said that Bangladesh is considered a
"role model" in water-related disaster management.
She mentioned that the investments in flood embankments,
cyclone shelters, coastal polders, green belts, floating agriculture, river
dredging, and urban stormwater drainage systems have increased Bangladesh's resilience.
"We have benefited from developing early warning
systems and community-based interventions. Our floodplain management aims at
managing the seasonal variations in water availability," she said.
The prime minister said that Bangladesh has drawn up a
cross-sectoral Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100 to work towards a resilient and
prosperous delta.
She said that the government is hosting an International
Financing Conference next month for mobilizing resources for implementing
projects under the Plan.
"We look forward to using the sediment loads flowing
into the Bay of Bengal for reclaiming and elevating lands in our coastal areas.
Bangladesh also stands ready to harness the untapped potentials of Blue
Economy," she said.
Talking about the climate change issue, Hasina said that
Bangladesh is aware of the immense impacts of climate change on water.
"We see growing saline intrusion in our coastal areas.
We also see a sharp decline in groundwater levels in some parts of the country.
Our government is giving emphasis on nature-based solutions, including
rainwater harvesting," she added.
In this regard, she said that the scientists have been
working on developing salinity and water-resistant, and drought-tolerant crops,
and already invented a number of varieties.
"We are taking an eco-system based approach to protect
our wetlands. We recognize our rivers to be living entities," she said.
The Kumamoto City of Japan and Asia-Pacific Water Forum
(APWF) Jointly organised the Summit under the theme "Water for Sustainable
Development -Best Practices and the Next Generation."
প্রধান সম্পাদকঃ সৈয়দ বোরহান কবীর
ক্রিয়েটিভ মিডিয়া লিমিটেডের অঙ্গ প্রতিষ্ঠান
বার্তা এবং বাণিজ্যিক কার্যালয়ঃ ২/৩ , ব্লক - ডি , লালমাটিয়া , ঢাকা -১২০৭
নিবন্ধিত ঠিকানাঃ বাড়ি# ৪৩ (লেভেল-৫) , রোড#১৬ নতুন (পুরাতন ২৭) , ধানমন্ডি , ঢাকা- ১২০৯
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