Green brigade raises red flag over dying rivers

As many as 140 rivers in the country are gasping for survival, including 13 that are facing extinction, environmentalists warned yesterday. Besides, 120 species of local fish had become extinct and 45 species are at the danger level, they added. The warning came at a roundtable discussion to mark “International Biodiversity Day 2018”. The event was hosted by Poribesh Bachao Andolan (POBA), a platform for green activists, at its Kalabagan office in the city. The theme of the day was “Celebrating 25 Years of Action for Biodiversity”.

Among others, POBA chairman Abu Naser Khan, former executive engineer of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport authority (BIWTA) Tofael Ahmed, Nirupoma Foundation chairman Advocate Naznin Nirupoma Tithi, former chief scientific officer of Bangladesh Space Research and Remote Sensing Organisation (SPARRSO) Obaidul Kader, Youth Sun president Makibul Hasan, and WBB-Trust’s project officer Samiul Hasan spoke at the roundtable.

POBA general secretary Abdus Sobhan presented a keynote paper on “Importance of Biodiversity in Poverty Reduction”.

According to Sobhan, riverbeds are being heavily silted due to unplanned construction of roads, embankments and upstream withdrawal of water.

He said that many rivers would disappear from the map of Bangladesh if the situation persisted for long. “There are around 300 rivers in Bangladesh now. Of them, 140 rivers are gasping for survival and 13 are on the verge of extinction,” he added.

He also said that every year, about 1.2–2.4 billion tonnes of sediment were carried by the rivers entering Bangladesh. “The lives of crores of people have been evolving around rivers for ages. But their livelihoods are now under threat due to the disappearance of many rivers,” he added.

Even many species of wildlife are under threat due to lack of food as many forests have been destroyed, he added.

There are a total of 982 species of wildlife in Bangladesh. These include 53 species of amphibians, 158 species of reptiles, 650 species of birds, and 121 species of mammals.

As per the latest red list prepared by IUCN, a total of 390 species of wildlife are at risk. Of them, 56 are listed as critical, 181 species are endangered and 153 species are under threat.

Abu Naser Khan said 13,356 trees were cut from Sreepur to Joydebpur due to the construction of Titas Gas supply lines. Besides, at least 3,247 more trees will be cut for building the BPC’s terminal at Moheshkhali and  a mini stadium at

Kapasia, he added.

“The government has allocated 4,083 acres of forests for Rohingyas on humanitarian ground. The forest department has also allocated 1.67 lakh acres of land to various public and private organisations.

Meanwhile, some ministries have written to the forest and environment ministry, demanding allocation of 16,000 acres of land, despite a Cabinet decision in 2016 to not allocate forest land till 2022,” the POBA chairman said.

He said the Sundarbans, the world’s biggest mangrove forest, too was under threat. “Even the Royal Bengal Tiger has become endangered,” he added.

According to Khan, only 106 tigers remain in the Sundarbans at present. The number was only 440 in 2004. A total of 32 species of fish in the Sundarbans have become extinct in the past 50 years, he noted.

The speakers urged the authorities concerned to protect the country’s biodiversity against unscrupulous people by strictly implementing laws against them.

 

Green brigade raises red flag over dying rivers

As many as 140 rivers in the country are gasping for survival, including 13 that are facing extinction, environmentalists warned yesterday. Besides, 120 species of local fish had become extinct and 45 species are at the danger level, they added. The warning came at a roundtable discussion to mark International Biodiversity Day 2018. The event was hosted by Poribesh Bachao Andolan (POBA), a platform for green activists, at its Kalabagan office in the city. The theme of the day was Celebrating 25 Years of Action for Biodiversity. Among others, POBA chairman Abu Naser Khan, former executive engineer of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport authority (BIWTA) Tofael Ahmed, Nirupoma Foundation chairman Advocate Naznin Nirupoma Tithi, former chief scientific officer of Bangladesh Space Research and Remote Sensing Organisation (SPARRSO) Obaidul Kader, Youth Sun president Makibul Hasan, and WBB-Trusts project officer Samiul Hasan spoke at the roundtable. POBA general secretary Abdus Sobhan presented a keynote paper on Importance of Biodiversity in Poverty Reduction. According to Sobhan, riverbeds are being heavily silted due to unplanned construction of roads, embankments and upstream withdrawal of water. He said that many rivers would disappear from the map of Bangladesh if the situation persisted for long. There are around 300 rivers in Bangladesh now. Of them, 140 rivers are gasping for survival and 13 are on the verge of extinction, he added. He also said that every year, about 1.22.4 billion tonnes of sediment were carried by the rivers entering Bangladesh. The lives of crores of people have been evolving around rivers for ages. But their livelihoods are now under threat due to the disappearance of many rivers, he added. Even many species of wildlife are under threat due to lack of food as many forests have been destroyed, he added. There are a total of 982 species of wildlife in Bangladesh. These include 53 species of amphibians, 158 species of reptiles, 650 species of birds, and 121 species of mammals. As per the latest red list prepared by IUCN, a total of 390 species of wildlife are at risk. Of them, 56 are listed as critical, 181 species are endangered and 153 species are under threat. Abu Naser Khan said 13,356 trees were cut from Sreepur to Joydebpur due to the construction of Titas Gas supply lines. Besides, at least 3,247 more trees will be cut for building the BPCs terminal at Moheshkhali and a mini stadium at Kapasia, he added. The government has allocated 4,083 acres of forests for Rohingyas on humanitarian ground. The forest department has also allocated 1.67 lakh acres of land to various public and private organisations. Meanwhile, some ministries have written to the forest and environment ministry, demanding allocation of 16,000 acres of land, despite a Cabinet decision in 2016 to not allocate forest land till 2022, the POBA chairman said. He said the Sundarbans, the worlds biggest mangrove forest, too was under threat. Even the Royal Bengal Tiger has become endangered, he added. According to Khan, only 106 tigers remain in the Sundarbans at present. The number was only 440 in 2004. A total of 32 species of fish in the Sundarbans have become extinct in the past 50 years, he noted. The speakers urged the authorities concerned to protect the countrys biodiversity against unscrupulous people by strictly implementing laws against them.