Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s words on the need for adopting innovative and environmentally-sustainable solutions to tackle riverbank erosion is timely and necessary, and must be heeded.
Despite being among the most persistent and devastating challenges, we remain far from addressing them. In the meantime, every year, erosion destroys homes, cropland, roads, schools, and entire villages as families are displaced overnight, livelihoods vanish, and local economies collapse.
While we continue to squander public funds, the PM’s directive should be clear: Solutions must be environmentally sound, scientifically grounded, and implemented through coordinated action, and crucially, must be completed within time and within budget - a standard that too many of our public projects fail to meet consistently.
River erosion has long been treated with short‑term fixes which may slow damage temporarily, but do not address the underlying causes. Any meaningful solution must respect the rivers themselves.
Restoring natural riverbanks, reinforcing them with vegetation, redesigning embankments to work with water flow rather than against it, and protecting wetlands that act as natural buffers are approaches that have been proven globally, and Bangladesh must now do all it can to implement them.
The PM’s emphasis on coordination is also critical. River management cannot be handled by isolated agencies working independently, and working in silos has also consistently been among the failures of our governance.
Equally important is financial discipline. Too many of our projects drag on for years, balloon in cost, or remain half‑finished while communities continue to suffer. We need projects that deliver measurable results and not symbolic gestures.
The future will not get any easier for us, and we must move beyond reactive measures and commit to long‑term, science‑driven solutions that protect both our rivers and the millions who depend on them.