The speakers of a national seminar on the eve of the World Water Day sought for exploring the nature-based solutions for water challenges in the country, reports UNB.

The speakers also emphasised on the need of integrated solution in water development plan considering political, social and local realities at the seminar which was jointly organised by Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) and NGO Forum for Public Health at PKSF Bhaban in Agargaon in the capital yesterday.

Discussion was directed in line with this year's UN World Water Day theme, 'Nature for Water', that urged to pursue ways to protect the environment for sustaining water sources, said a press PKSF statement.

Addressing the seminar as the chief guest, Environment and Forest Minister Barrister Anisul Islam Mahmud said, "We have built buffer zones across our rivers to create room for the rivers. But people have started residing in those areas; consequently houses are built, roads are constructed, markets are established. In the end, the buffer zones are missing and causing floods."

The country's finite resources are invested into protecting the natural cycle and the ministry was working to increase the forest area, he added.

Chairman of PKSF Dr Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad who presided over the seminar stressed on identifying water management system that will save the environment and ecology.

He also mentioned that PKSF has been promoting poor people's access to safe water through keeping the environment and ecology unhampered.

Dr M Ashraf Ali, professor of Department of Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering Division BUET and director of ITN-BUET, said in the near future, the water of Shitalakhya River will also become unusable, the only usable surface water available for Dhaka while much of our development planning was going against nature.

He stressed in developing standard designs and guidelines for nature-based technologies so that our engineers can apply.