A government plan is in the making to cope with climate change and population increases over the next hundred years.
Armed with Tk87 crore provided by the government of the Netherlands to cover the cost of the plan, the Planning Commission began work on Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100 in March.
Prof Shamsul Alam, member of the planning commission, said the government was devising a coordinated approach to address issues like climate change, water resources management, river dredging and the construction of embankments.
Mitigating the negative impacts of climate change is the major focus of the Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100, he added.
Sources said the plan could be finalized by 2016.
Twenty research projects on various issues, which will be incorporated into the Delta Plan, were conducted by eleven expert organizations.
Locally produced expert input will be provided by the Centre for Environmental and Geographic Information Services (CEGIS) and the Institute of Water Modelling (IWM). Nine expert organizations based in the Netherlands will also contribute to the effort.
Prof Dr M Monowar Hossain, executive director of the Institute of Water Modelling, said the plan would be framed based on the criteria and demands of eight different geo-ecological zones in Bangladesh.
Earlier, government initiatives to preserve the country’s ecology have included the national water management plan, the integrated coastal management plan, the haor master plan and the national water resources management plan.
A memorandum of understanding was signed in Dhaka on March 22 between Planning Minister AK Khandker and the Dutch Minister for Development Dr Ben Knapen to foster a strategic partnership on sustainable delta management, based on the experience of the Netherlands. Both countries are located in deltaic plains.
Countries such as Vietnam and Indonesia have had positive results from taking a coordinated approach to sustainable development.