Put water at the heart of climate action

Newly appointed Environment Minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury yesterday identified water scarcity at the centre of the climate crisis, calling upon all to work together to mitigate it.

"Climate change presents an existential threat, especially affecting global water resources and ecosystems. It has diverse impacts on our life and there is no way to deny it," he said.

Water is central to sustainability. We must use it wisely to ensure its availability for future generations. It is a global responsibility, transcending national boundaries.

— Saber Hossain Chowdhury

The minister made the remarks while addressing the inaugural session of the two-day ninth International Water Conference, titled "River, Water, and Climate Change: Creating Space for Resilience", organised by ActionAid Bangladesh at a city hotel.

"Water is central to sustainability. We must use it wisely to ensure its availability for future generations. It is a global responsibility, transcending national boundaries," Saber said.

He informed that his ministry is implementing a 100-day plan, including an extensive programme set to be unveiled today, to address climate change.

The first day of the conference covered 10 thematic areas, including understanding the nexus of climate change and the rights of rivers, climate change and rivers, risk and vulnerabilities, and development, inclusion, and resilience.

We have 26 policies and laws concerning climate change or water management enacted by various ministries. But there are no coordinated efforts (to implement them).

— Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad

While presenting a keynote paper at the conference, Dhaka University Prof Imtiaz Mahmud called upon politicians to step forward in the fight against climate change.

"When we talk about climate, we should keep in mind politicians because they are the guiding agents."

He further mentioned that as a result of the detrimental effects of climate change, approximately USD 525 billion in losses has been projected across 55 vulnerable countries over the past two decades, with Bangladesh being among them.

Renowned economist Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad, said, "We have 26 policies and laws concerning climate change or water management enacted by various ministries. But there are no coordinated efforts [to implement them]."

Speaking at the event, Nardia Simpson, acting high commissioner of Australia to Bangladesh, said that they are working with the government's agricultural sector and with different NGOs to improve water governance and address climate change in Bangladesh.

Farah Kabir, country director at ActionAid Bangladesh, said, "It is now crucial to build a platform that brings different people together, sparks new ideas, and focuses on what the community can do to address climate change."

At the third session, titled "Development, Inclusion, and Resilience," three papers were presented on impacts of salinity on reproductive health, drinking water, and the impacts of mega development projects on socio-economic and environmental factors in the country.

Ashrafi Binte Akram from Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University and Marzia Islam from Dhaka University highlighted in their papers that women in coastal areas endure diverse challenges such as gender-based violence, mental and financial issues, and various diseases caused by salinity.

Abul Kalam Azad, manager of Just Energy Transition at ActionAid Bangladesh, said in his paper that communities in coastal areas face livelihood and land losses due to mega projects.

He emphasised the necessity of sufficient financial support for their recovery.