1.9cr at risk of displacement by 2050: speakers

Without effective action, around 1.9 crore people in Bangladesh could be displaced by slow-onset climate disasters by 2050, said Professor Tasneem Siddiqui at a workshop yesterday.

The workshop, titled "Introduction and Stakeholder Consultation on the National Strategy on Internal Displacement due to Climate Change 2021", was organised by the Refugee and Migratory Movement Research Unit (RMMRU) at a hotel in the capital.

Prof Tasneem, executive director of RMMRU, said although many action plans and strategies are formulated, they often remain unimplemented due to budget constraints.

However, she noted that this particular national strategy on climate-induced displacement is being implemented in different areas.

"We want the government to allocate resources to support this strategy," she said.

Participants also discussed a template that is currently being developed by Bangladesh to help Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) countries prepare their own national strategies for managing internal displacement.

Bangladesh presented its national strategy at the United Nations Climate Conference (COP26) in 2021, when the then CVF secretary general requested Bangladesh to develop a standardised template.

Nazrul Islam, secretary of the Ministry of Housing and Public Works, said, "We have a moral responsibility to work for the rehabilitation and welfare of the poor who have been displaced and affected over time."

People affected by river erosion have no homes, no toilets, and no access to safe drinking water, he said. He stressed the need to build housing for them and said it would greatly improve their lives.

"If we can at least ensure proper education for their children and create employment opportunities, it will benefit them significantly," he said.

KM Abdul Wadud, additional secretary of the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, hoped that the strategy and action plan will be reviewed once more by June.