Environmental activists and civil society leaders on
Friday called for a special allocation
in the national budget to protect Bangladesh’s disaster-prone coastal regions .
They said that coastal areas were facing severe impacts from climate change and
human-induced environmental degradation. The increasing frequency and intensity
of cyclones, storm surges, floods, river erosion and land loss were adversely
affecting the environment, agriculture, biodiversity and livelihoods of coastal
communities. They stressed the need for a specific action plan and dedicated
budgetary support to ensure the protection and sustainable development of
coastal areas.
The demand was raised at a human chain and rally held in
front of the National Press Club in Dhaka, organised by research organisation
Dream Research and Development Foundation (DRDF) and citizens’ platform,
Sundarbans and Coastal Protection Movement. The programme was presided over by
the movement’s coordinator, Nikhil Chandra Bhadra. A keynote paper was
presented by Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University teacher and researcher Mir
Mohammad Ali.
Among others, former general secretary of the Communist
Party of Bangladesh Ruhin Hossain Prince, teachers’ leader principal Akmal
Hossain, former president of the Dhaka Reporters Unity Rafiqul Islam Azad,
Udichi Shilpigoshthi general secretary Amit Ranjan Dey and Sachetan
organisation general secretary Shakila Parvin addressed the gathering.
The speakers placed a 21-point demand, which includes
declaring the country’s coastal belt a climate and disaster-vulnerable zone,
establishing environmentally friendly economic zones, constructing sustainable
embankments and repairing vulnerable ones, ensuring access to safe drinking
water in remote coastal areas, and upgrading cyclone shelters to make them more
friendly for women, children, persons with disabilities and the elderly.
In his speech, Mir Mohammad Ali said that the coastal crisis was no longer merely a disaster management issue but also a matter of fishermen’s livelihoods, agriculture, fisheries resources, food security and the national economy. He said that ensuring the safety of fishermen at sea required boat registration, digital tracking systems, weather warning services, rescue mechanisms and adequate support during fishing ban periods. He emphasised that a coordinated action plan, along with a special allocation in the national budget, was now essential to protect coastal livelihoods, conserve marine fisheries resources and strengthen climate resilience in coastal regions.
