State Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change Shaikh Faridul Islam today stressed the need to assess the health impacts of development projects alongside their environmental impacts to ensure public health and a safe, habitable Bangladesh. Speaking at a discussion titled 'Waste-Free Bangladesh: Our Responsibility' organized by the Forum of Environmental Journalists of Bangladesh (FEJB) at the National Press Club, Faridul called on people to participate in environmentally friendly waste management to prevent pollution of rivers, soil, and air.
The State Minister urged journalists to publish more reports on environmental conservation and highlight shortcomings in government initiatives, emphasizing the media's crucial role in protecting the environment. He mentioned that the government is working on nature-based and environmentally friendly solutions, including plans to plant 250 million trees, dig 20,000 kilometers of canals, and introduce electric buses.
Notably, Faridul revealed that no government allocation was used for tree planting this year. Instead, the programme was financed through corporate social responsibility (CSR) and other district-level funds. He added that the government aims to revolutionize the country through the tree-planting programme, ensuring no exotic trees would be planted under the planned 250-million-tree initiative.
Addressing industrial waste discharge, Faridul highlighted the need to close 425 points where industrial factories discharge waste into five rivers surrounding Dhaka. He urged journalists to raise this issue through their reports. Additionally, he called for making the repair of roads within a short period after excavation mandatory to help reduce Dhaka's air pollution.
The discussion, chaired by Forum President Mostafa Kamal Majumdar, called for making Bangladesh healthy and habitable through proper waste management and replenishment of natural resources. Keynote speaker Zakir Hossain Khan, Managing Director of Change Initiative, presented an overview of the growing volume of waste in different sectors of the country and outlined ways to achieve zero waste through recycling, recovery, and regeneration of resources under a circular economy.
