Dhaka seeks Tokyo's aid for river dredging
State Minister for Environ-ment and Forest Dr Hasan Mahmud has sought Japanese assistance in river dredging in Bangladesh to allow uninterrupted flow of water for stopping shrinkage and erosion of the river.
"Attempt if could be taken under the Japanese assistance can reduce meandering of the river letting enough land/area for cultivation and other uses," he said during a meeting with Minister for Environment of Japan Sakihito Ozawa at his office in Tokyo on Thursday.
The state minister sought the support of the Japanese government to supply the specially designed vehicle for the coastal areas in order to produce safe drinking water for the inhabitants of the coastal belt.
Mahmud thanked his counterpart for the invitation in Japan to attend the 3R programme where he informed the strong desire of the Bangladesh government to combat the global warming that has been seriously deterring the environment of Bangladesh.
He also said that unavailability of natural resources in the most densely populated country greatly realised the importance of 3R programme for Bangladesh. He informed the Japanese minister that a wing in the Department of Environment will soon be opened to go with the objectives of 3R.
Referring to Japanese Prime Minister Hatoyama's initiatives declared in the United Nations General Assembly meeting and the country's commitment to reducing 25 percent emission of carbon by 2020, Mahmud urged his Japanese counterpart to encourage private entrepreneurs involved in the process to buy carbon credit from Bangladesh that can lead Japan in meeting the principles of the declaration.
Ozawa welcomed and thanked the Bangladesh minister for his joining in the 3R programme in Tokyo, saying that this could help tremendously a country like Bangladesh, which is densely populated with 150 million people.
Citing the long-trusted friendship continuing over the years between the two countries, the Japanese minister added that Japan has been formulating framework to work in line with the principles of Hatoyama Initiative in order to reduce the global warming and keep the world free from the harmful effect of climate change.
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