We’re ever-ready to face natural calamities: PM

As a delta land, Bangladesh has to be ever ready to face natural calamities like cyclone, tidal waves, flood, earthquake, river erosion and drought, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said yesterday.

"These natural calamities will come regularly… we have to remain ever ready to face these and we are doing that," she said while addressing a programme marking the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction 2020.

The Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief arranged the event at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium, which the PM attended from her official residence Ganobhaban.

The theme of this year's International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction is "Disaster risk governance" while the theme for Bangladesh has been set as "Good Governance in Reduce Disaster Risk, Ensure Sustainable Development".

State Minister for Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief Dr Md Enamur Rahman presided over the programme where Chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on disaster management and relief AB Tajul Islam and disaster management and relief secretary Md Mohsin also spoke.

The premier also inaugurated 17,005 newly-built disaster resilience houses virtually, and unveiled the cover of a book titled "Standing Orders of Disaster".

Hasina said the government is dredging rivers to increase their navigability and depth, re-excavating canals, beel, ponds and wetlands so that enough water can be preserved in those.

She said capital dredging should be done for rivers so that these could contain water during the flood time.

She asked the authorities concerned to strictly maintain the smooth flow of waters in wetlands, rivers, canals and beels. "If we keep filling wetlands, rivers, canals and beels out of greed, and construct buildings, it'll cause water-logging, destroy natural balance affecting the country".