Consider climate change issue while preparing budget

Prof Muzaffer Ahmad speaks at a seminar titled 'Climate change: Its impact on health and environment' at Dhaka Reporters' Unity yesterday. On his left are Sirajul Islam Molla and Dr Monirul Alam and on his right is Dr SK Roy.Photo: STAR

Speakers at a seminar yesterday stressed the need to consider the impacts of climate change while preparing the national budget.
The seminar titled 'Climate change: Its impact on health and environment' was organised by Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon (Bapa) at Dhaka Reporters Unity auditorium.
"The impacts of climate change should be considered during the preparation of the national budget and we have to think about our role in tackling the climate change," said Bapa President Prof Muzaffer Ahmad.
"Not only developed countries, we are also destroying the environment in many cases," he said.
"The cycle of rain has been changed in the country as we have destroyed our water bodies, canal and rivers," he added.
Prof Muzaffer also underscored the need to give more attention to save rivers, canals and water bodies, and said the amount of money allocated for excavation of rivers is less than 30 percent of the amount allocated for road communications in the national budget.
Dr SK Roy of ICDDR,B said that as a huge amount of industrial waste is being dumped in the rivers and other water bodies, the number of cancer patient has increased enormously.
Dr Manirul Alam, a scientist of ICDDR,B, said the growth of population must be controlled as the land will be reduced due to climate change.
Besides, there must be huge plantation of trees and campaign to stop tree felling to preserve the environment, he added.
Dr Manirul also apprehended that due to climate change there will be outbreak of various diseases in epidemic form.
Prof Hafizur Rahman Karzon, and M Sirajul Islam Molla also spoke at the seminar.