Govt takes up Tk 2,995cr project

The government plans to take up a Tk 2,995-crore project for enhancing its technical and administrative capacity to manage the environment in a sustainable manner across the country.

Under this project, the Department of Environment (DoE) will build its permanent regional offices and laboratories in at least 35 districts and four divisions by acquiring 13.15 acres of land.

The project will establish a "Green Credit Guarantee Scheme" to incentivise the financial sector to support green investments, which will reduce air pollution, according to the documents of the planning ministry.

The project, "Bangladesh Environmental Sustainability and Transformation", will be placed before the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) today.

The project will also be helpful to improve environmental regulations and curb pollution.

Aiming at reducing pollution, the DoE will establish an air-quality forecasting system.

Bangladesh Bank, Bangladesh Road Transport Authority, and Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority will jointly implement the project under the leadership of the DoE.

The project is expected to start in July 2023 and be completed in June 2028. The World Bank will finance the project with Tk 2,569 crore, and French aid agency Agence Française de Développement (AFD) will provide Tk 232.13 crore.

The DoE will also purchase 75 professional drones and 63 vehicles to monitor environment pollution across the country. The vehicles will cost Tk 39 crore.

According to the project proposal, the cost to construct 35 buildings will be Tk 492 crore; each building will take Tk 14 crore.

A multipurpose building will be constructed for the training and research centre. Its construction cost will be Tk 92 crore.

Sanjay Kumar Bhowmik -- additional secretary (development wing, additional charge) of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change -- said it is an essential project to establish permanent locations for the DoE, as it still conducts its activities by renting offices.

"It is not possible to conduct research and monitoring work through floating places," he said, adding that this project will surely strengthen the DoE's overall activities.

Contacted, AKM Fazlul Haque -- secretary to the agriculture, water resources and rural institutions division of the planning commission -- said the project will help ensure sustainable environmental management.

"From the planning commission, we have scrutinised the project and given several observations about the consultation firms," he said.