PM urges rainwater harvesting country's development

FT ONLINE

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has urged all concerned to create reservoirs to harvest rainwater during monsoon to utilise it for the development of the country.

"We've to work out a plan for creating ways to harvest the water that we get during monsoon," she said. 

Sheikh Hasina said this on Tuesday while addressing a function organised by Water Resources Ministry at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC), marking the World Water Day 2018.

The prime minister said the government is making strides to ensure an equitable water management of the all trans-boundary rivers with India like the Padma River.

However, the solution should be found out on our own through river dredging and reservation of the rain water," she said.

Laying importance on nature-based solutions to water problems, the prime minister said there are no alternative to the nature-based solutions for facing the mounting challenges of water resources management.

"Nature-based solution of different water problems is the demand of the present time and it must be encouraged," she said.

About the solution of Teesta water sharing with India, the prime minister said Bangladesh should have considered more wisely about the future impact before construction of the Teesta Barrage as we live in downstream.

"Now, we are in problem with the barrage. So, the more rain water we would be able to harvest the more we will be benefitted," she said.

She said the water preservation capacity of the country's rivers has decreased due to siltation. "Riverbeds get inflated due to siltation. This is how they lose their navigability, but we have to protect our rivers."

The premier said the rivers could retain their navigability through planned dredging which will be beneficial for the country.

"I always think that through dredging we could increase the navigability of the rivers and we can preserve the excessive water that comes from Himalaya during the rainy season. The more water we can preserve the more it will be beneficial for the country," she said.

Talking about seasonal flood, Hasina said flood is also needed for Bangladesh. "We've to live with flood, but we need to be careful so that this flood doesn't harm us, we have to utilise the bright side [increasing land fertility] of flood, too," she said.

The Prime Minister asked the authorities concerned to take plans keeping that view of flood in mind. "We also have to implement those plans so that we can achieve the desired goal of making Bangladesh a poverty- and hunger-free country as dreamt by Bangabandhu," she said.

Hasina said there should always be preparations to face the challenges of nature as the people of the country have to live with it.

Water Resources Minister Anwar Hossain Monju and State Minister Nazrul Islam, Bir Pratik, were present as special guests on the occasion chaired by acting secretary of the ministry Kabir Bin Anwar.

Director general of Bangladesh Water Development Board gave the welcome address.

A documentary on the water management and activities of the Water Resources Ministry was displayed while the theme song on the World Water Day was played.