Country to get benefitted by 2018: Shajahan

Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan yesterday said Bangladesh will derive the benefit of stopping river pollution by 2018 since the government has started taking stern actions against the polluters, reports UNB.
“A monitoring committee has already been formed to check river pollution. Bangladesh Navy will help the committee in this regard,” he told a discussion in the capital.
Association for Law Research and Human Rights (ALRHR) arranged the discussion on ‘river and our economy’ at Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU).
Shajahan Khan said the government will be harsh to stop river encroachment and water pollution to bring the original nature of the country’s rivers while river routes will be used to advance its economy. About the dying rivers, he said once there were about 24,000 kilometres of river routes in the country, but now it declined to only 6,200 kilometres during monsoon and 3,600 kilometres during dry season.
The Shipping Minister said the government has taken initiatives involving Tk 11,400 crore to dredge the country’s 53 river routes. “A Tk 3,200 crore loan has already been taken from World Bank to dredge rivers and develop river ports. Meanwhile, Mongla-Gashiakhali river route was dredged to make it suitable for vessel movement,” he said.
Shajahan Khan said the government procured 14 dredgers during the 2009-2013 period and process continues to procure 20 more dredgers during its current tenure to dredge rivers.
Chaired by ALRHR president Md Jahangir Alam, the discussion was addressed, among others, by former UN water expert SI Khan and freedom fighter Dr Sayeda Badrunnahar Chowdhury.

Country to get benefitted by 2018: Shajahan

Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan yesterday said Bangladesh will derive the benefit of stopping river pollution by 2018 since the government has started taking stern actions against the polluters, reports UNB. A monitoring committee has already been formed to check river pollution. Bangladesh Navy will help the committee in this regard, he told a discussion in the capital. Association for Law Research and Human Rights (ALRHR) arranged the discussion on river and our economy at Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU). Shajahan Khan said the government will be harsh to stop river encroachment and water pollution to bring the original nature of the countrys rivers while river routes will be used to advance its economy. About the dying rivers, he said once there were about 24,000 kilometres of river routes in the country, but now it declined to only 6,200 kilometres during monsoon and 3,600 kilometres during dry season. The Shipping Minister said the government has taken initiatives involving Tk 11,400 crore to dredge the countrys 53 river routes. A Tk 3,200 crore loan has already been taken from World Bank to dredge rivers and develop river ports. Meanwhile, Mongla-Gashiakhali river route was dredged to make it suitable for vessel movement, he said. Shajahan Khan said the government procured 14 dredgers during the 2009-2013 period and process continues to procure 20 more dredgers during its current tenure to dredge rivers. Chaired by ALRHR president Md Jahangir Alam, the discussion was addressed, among others, by former UN water expert SI Khan and freedom fighter Dr Sayeda Badrunnahar Chowdhury.