Fair share? Teesta to get even drier in Bangladesh
West Bengal moves to divert more water from the river
River pollution: It’s now all over the country
According to a new study, at least 56 rivers flowing through different parts of the country are suffering from extreme pollution during the lean period -- when natural flows of rivers are at their lowest
A good initiative falls short of goal
A Tk 3,020 crore government project to popularise cultivation on big plots of land with the help of modern agricultural tools has seen little success in the last two years.
9.4m displaced in seven years
At least 1,053 people were killed and 9.4 million more displaced internally in different climate-related disasters in 58 districts in seven years from 2014, says a recent study.
Blogging in Bangladesh: Caught between a rock and a hard place
"On one hand, there was a fear of being the target of machete attacks while there were laws like the ICT Act. We were sandwiched in between. "
Farmers come to our rescue, yet again
When Abdul Haque woke up at dawn yesterday, not even the bone-chilling cold or the fog could stop him from getting out onto the field.
Choking the lifeblood of democracy
"The only security of all is in a free press," Thomas Jefferson, famous American statesman and the country’s third president once said.
Free speech the collateral damage of Covid in Bangladesh
When Covid-19 began to spread at an exponential rate across countries in January 2020, ministers and government officials in Bangladesh assured people that "adequate measures" were taken to prevent coronavirus from entering the country.
Inflation, war eating away food gains
Bangladesh made gains in food production and ensured the availability of rice in recent years. But surging inflation, erratic weather, and the Russia-Ukraine war affected the availability of cereals and reduced low-income people’s access to food this year.
World Rivers Day: Factories killing water bodies in Tongi
Only two decades ago, people bathed in the Hyderabad canal in Tongi, Gazipur.
All, except farmers, profit from paddy farming
Paddy farmers in the northern districts have struggled to turn a profit for the past five years, as production costs have risen significantly but rice prices have not increased proportionally.
Teesta sorrows everflowing
When Bangladesh and India were about to ink a deal on sharing the Teesta water in 2010, people living by the river in Rangpur region dreamt of better days.
Joint Rivers Commission crippled by a lack of political will
The Joint Rivers Commission has not been much effective in resolving the issues of water sharing of transboundary rivers due to a lack of commitment from India and also for Bangladesh’s technical incapacity to be persuasive.
Poor, middle class: Soaring rice price deepens their plight
Azmat Ali is a daily wage earner in the northern district of Lalmonirhat. Just a week ago, he bought coarse rice for Tk 44-45 a kg. But yesterday he found the price of the staple rose to Tk 52.
Victimising journalists: A decades-long tradition of denying justice
Twenty-two years have come and gone since her husband was shot to death, but Selina Akhter Lucky has all but given up hope for justice for the brutal murder.
Ethnic population in 2022 census: Real picture not reflected
Indigenous leaders and researchers have questioned the accuracy of ethnic population data shown in the latest census report and said the actual figure would be much higher.
Farmers get a raw deal
Floods, low rainfall and then fertiliser price hike -- the woes of farmers just won’t stop. And now, they will have to bear the brunt of a sudden 42.5 percent rise in diesel cost, which is likely to make them spend an additional Tk 4,000 in irrigation for per hectare Boro production.
Waiting for the rain
After a spell of extreme heat and scanty rain in the last two consecutive months, farmers across the country were expecting favourable weather for a good harvest of rain-fed Aman paddy, which accounts for 39 percent of total grain production.
Increase in fertiliser price: Farmers braced for a hard time
The government has raised the price of urea fertiliser for the first time in 11 years, burdening the farmers with an increased production cost.
Floods over, not the struggles
It has been around a month since flood waters began receding across Sylhet division.
Nature’s revenge
For around a month now, all four districts in the Sylhet division have been enduring floods with the water receding slowly from many areas and thousands left to suffer.
A series of delayed justice
Although attacks on freethinkers and bloggers, and their murders by suspected Islamic militants have decreased significantly due to multiple anti-militant crackdowns, none of the families of those killed has gotten complete justice yet.
More rains may prolong sufferings for another week
Sufferings of the people in Sylhet division is not going to end soon as rivers will continue to swell in the next three days before starting to recede. So, the flood situation in the region will prevail for at least seven more days, meteorologists said.
Flood in Sylhet may prevail at least a week, weather experts say
Sufferings of people living in Sylhet division is not going to end soon as the water level will continue to rise for next three days and the flood situation will prevail at least for seven days, according to weathermen.
Sitakunda: Living in a death trap
Unplanned industrialisation in Sitakunda without proper safety measures has made local people live in constant fear especially after the BM container depot disaster.
Food, Agriculture: A lot of hype, little promised
Amid the Russia-Ukraine war and global food price hike, Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal placed emphasis on boosting food production to ensure food security in the country.
Shut errant tanneries now
A parliamentary body yesterday expressed resentment over the industries ministry’s “deliberate delay” in shutting down the tanners inside the Savar Tannery Industrial Estate,which are severely polluting the Dhaleshwari river.
Rice pricier even in peak Boro season
The prices of rice rose by Tk 8-10 per kg over the last two weeks even though it is the harvesting season and there is ample supply of paddy.
‘Sustainable resilience need of the hour’
With a call to generate and allocate necessary global funding for LDCs (Least Developed Countries)faced with natural disasters, the seventh Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GPDRR) 2022 ended yesterday in Bali, Indonesia.
Bangladesh’s progress commendable
Praising Dhaka’s initiative to reduce disaster risks for people with disabilities, speakers yesterday said reducing risks for all is easy to talk about but difficult to implement, but Bangladesh is showing the world how to do so.
Bangladesh role model for disaster management
Over the decade, Bangladesh has earned a name as a role model for disaster management despite being one of the most disaster-prone and climate-vulnerable countries.
Prepare for pressure on rice
While the government is banking on a good harvest of Boro paddy to bolster its grain stock, experts fear a sole focus on local production may not help ensure the country’s food security in the foreseeable future.
Int’l day of action for rivers: 100 acres of the Buriganga still occupied
Nearly 100 acres along the two banks of the Buriganga river remain filled up even after installation of boundary pillars.
Climate change harsher on women in coastal areas
In May last year, 40-year-old Sunita Das, from Gatirgheri village of Khulna’s Koyra, lost her home to cyclone Yaas. More than 50 villages in Koyra were submerged, and around 45 metres of the flood control dam of Shakbaria river in Gatirgheri were washed away at the time.
Karuna, a pioneer in seed preservation
Sitting in her narrow yard, Karuna Mandal was sorting watermelon seeds. Nearly a hundred plastic and earthen pots, wrapped in polyethene and full of different kinds of seeds, lay in front of her.
Chinese proposal for CTG: Metro rail in return for stake in ‘smart city’
A Chinese company has proposed building a metro rail line in Chattogram and reclaiming land from the sea to build a 60-square km “smart city” in exchange for a share of the latter.
A trail of death and mismanagement
Despite the forest department lacking the skilled manpower needed to run two existing safari parks, plans are underway for yet another safari park project in Lathitila forest in Moulvibazar’s Juri upazila, at the cost of destroying natural forests.
‘We are simply not equipped to run safari parks’
Eminent wildlife conservationist Dr Reza Khan said Bangladesh needs to open an independent department with a mandate to manage all the wildlife of the country, including those in safari parks and zoos.
Turag filled up ‘MISTAKENLY’
The High Court had directed the government 12 years ago to restore the areas of the Turag and three other rivers around the capital to their original state, but the government still lags far behind in the implementation of the directive.
Coastal People: Not merely at mercy of nature
“Many are leaving this area and going someplace else to live. Their homes are submerged and they have no means of livelihood here. It is hard even to get drinking water sometimes.”
Wanton neglect, irreversible loss
After around two decades and countless deadlines, a tannery estate with a fully functioning CETP that would ensure the environment is not ravaged by toxic waste is still a far cry from what was planned.
Child marriage in pandemic: A scourge returns on tiptoe
She wanted to be a teacher one day and was studying hard to reach that goal. But that dream, she feels, has just slipped away.
Munshiganj Rivers: Prize, not penalty for top grabber
Though the district administration and National River Conservation Commission have identified the company as the top river grabber in Munshiganj, the shipping ministry has been helping boost its business by awarding it shipbuilding contracts.
Import helps push the rice prices down
Rice prices have started to drop after the government allowed private importers to bring in the staple from other countries.
Air heaviest with reek of death
The air was heavy with the stench of death. The smell of burnt plastic, packaging papers, and other factory materials was still lingering.
Govt scraps 10 coal power projects
The prime minister has approved a proposal to scrap 10 coal-fired power plants that were okayed earlier.
Food Grains From Local Sources: Govt to buy less despite low stock
In a surprising move, the government has reduced the internal procurement target of food grains for the coming year, even though it had reached its lowest just two months ago in the current year.
March 15, 2023
Fair share? Teesta to get even drier in Bangladesh
West Bengal moves to divert more water from the river
March 14, 2023
River pollution: It’s now all over the country
According to a new study, at least 56 rivers flowing through different parts of the country are suffering from extreme pollution during the lean period -- when natural flows of rivers are at their lowest
February 11, 2023
A good initiative falls short of goal
A Tk 3,020 crore government project to popularise cultivation on big plots of land with the help of modern agricultural tools has seen little success in the last two years.
February 9, 2023
9.4m displaced in seven years
At least 1,053 people were killed and 9.4 million more displaced internally in different climate-related disasters in 58 districts in seven years from 2014, says a recent study.
January 31, 2023
Blogging in Bangladesh: Caught between a rock and a hard place
"On one hand, there was a fear of being the target of machete attacks while there were laws like the ICT Act. We were sandwiched in between. "
January 1, 2023
Farmers come to our rescue, yet again
When Abdul Haque woke up at dawn yesterday, not even the bone-chilling cold or the fog could stop him from getting out onto the field.
December 1, 2022
Choking the lifeblood of democracy
"The only security of all is in a free press," Thomas Jefferson, famous American statesman and the country’s third president once said.
October 22, 2022
Free speech the collateral damage of Covid in Bangladesh
When Covid-19 began to spread at an exponential rate across countries in January 2020, ministers and government officials in Bangladesh assured people that "adequate measures" were taken to prevent coronavirus from entering the country.
October 16, 2022
Inflation, war eating away food gains
Bangladesh made gains in food production and ensured the availability of rice in recent years. But surging inflation, erratic weather, and the Russia-Ukraine war affected the availability of cereals and reduced low-income people’s access to food this year.
September 25, 2022
World Rivers Day: Factories killing water bodies in Tongi
Only two decades ago, people bathed in the Hyderabad canal in Tongi, Gazipur.
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