Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change:
Advisor to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the Ministry of Water Resources, Syeda Rizwana Hasan, has emphasized that every citizen of Bangladesh must become environmentally conscious. “Roads, flyovers, and electricity cannot be considered the only basic needs of life. If the air and water are polluted, electricity alone cannot ensure well-being. What will you do with electricity if the air you breathe causes lung cancer? What good are roads if we don’t have enough trees to purify the air?” she said.
She made these remarks as the chief guest at a discussion titled “Reforms in Environmental Governance: Current Context and Future Challenges” held Sunday at the Department of Environment auditorium in Agargaon, Dhaka, in observance of World Environment Day.
The Advisor stressed the integration of environmental education into the national curriculum, the inclusion of environmental concerns in all ministries, and greater emphasis on environmental studies and public awareness. “Development without environmental protection is not sustainable. We must ensure development in harmony with nature,” she added.
She also called for the urgent recruitment to vacant posts at the Department of Environment, noting that project preparation takes time and thus outsourcing is necessary in certain areas. Expressing disappointment over budget constraints, she said, “We are among the lowest-budgeted ministries. With such limited resources, it is impossible to carry out effective monitoring, enforcement, and restoration. Once nature is destroyed, it requires significantly more investment to restore it.”
Referring to challenges such as closing illegal brick kilns, managing human-elephant conflict, installing CCTV, and other conservation efforts, she highlighted the pressing need to fill vacant positions and reform land and infrastructure-related laws.
“To strengthen enforcement, we must allocate funds for night patrols and introduce technology-based online monitoring systems,” she said. She also underscored the importance of strengthening the environmental clearance and monitoring system: “It is unfortunate that our legal team cannot act even when power connections are cut. How can someone run a business without an environmental clearance?”
The discussion was chaired by Dr. Md. Kamruzzaman, NDC, Director General of the Department of Environment. Other speakers included Dr. Fahmida Khanom, Additional Secretary of the Ministry; Dr. Tanvir Ahmed, Professor at BUET; Dr. Khondaker Rashidul Huq, former Director General of the Department of Environment; Mukit Majumdar Babu, Chairman of Nature and Life Foundation; Abu Hasnat Md. Maksud Sinha, Executive Director of Waste Concern; Professor Nur Mohammad Talukder, President of Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA); and Bareesh Hasan Chowdhury, Campaign Coordinator of Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA).
Masud Iqbal Md. Shamim, Director (Environmental Clearance), Department of Environment, presented the keynote paper at the event.