Environment ministry announces 100-day programme

The Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ministry today announced its 100-day work plan focusing on its priority areas - institutional capacity building, pollution control, waste management, environment, forest and biodiversity conservation and climate change.
 
Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury announced the 100-day programme at a press conference at the Bangladesh Secretariat here.

Environment Secretary Dr Farhina Ahmed presented various aspects of the programme to be implemented in 100 working days.

Speaking on the occasion, Saber Hossain said the 100-day programme of his ministry that began today and will conclude on June 30 next is a strategic work plan wherein transparency will be ensured.

"We want to reach our people. We want to say what problems we have. We want to start it. We want to present our priority issues before them (people) through this programme," he said.

As per the 100-day progarmme, the ministry will approve a revised roadmap on 100 percent use of blocks in public construction projects aiming to check air pollution and save arable land. Minimum one initiative will be taken against every source of air pollution and drives will be carried out against at least 500 illegal brick kilns. Steps will be taken to update the Sound Pollution (control) Rules 2006.

The government will take initiative to formulate the National Waste Management Plan, while the list of single use plastic will be prepared and works on its baseline information collection will begin with a view to protecting environment, ecosystem and biodiversity from plastic pollution.

Measures will be taken to introduce online monitoring system at effluent treatment plants (ETPs) of industries and to declare Bangladesh Secretariat as single use plastic-free zone. Notification will be issued to take such measures at other government offices.

To check environmental pollution, two single use plastic-free school campuses will be established in every division and initiatives will be taken to build two zero waste villages in each division.

The ministry will take initiatives to prepare a work plan to include environment issues in curriculum at school and college levels and to map hills and waterbodies across the country.

In addition, measures will be taken to recover forest land and re-fix the penalty rate against environment polluters.

The ministry will also take steps to finalise the Bangladesh Climate Development Partnership to deal with the adverse impacts of climate change effectively and collectively.    

Additional Secretary (Admin) Iqbal Abdullah Harun, Additional Secretary (Development) Dr Fahmida Khanam and Director General of Department of Environment Dr Abdul Hamid were, among others, present at the press conference.