Syeda Rizwana Hasan, adviser to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the Ministry of Water Resources, has said it is essential for all 18 crore people of the country to become environmentally aware.

She said roads, flyovers and electricity alone cannot be the basic needs of life. If air and water are polluted, electricity cannot keep everything right. "What will you do with electricity in air that causes lung cancer? What good are roads if there are not enough trees to purify the air?" she said.

She was speaking as chief guest at a discussion titled "Environmental reform thinking: current context and future challenges", held at the Department of Environment auditorium in Agargaon in the capital on Sunday, 1 June, to mark World Environment Day.

The adviser said it is necessary to include the environment in the education system, build environmental thinking into every ministry and give priority to environmental education and awareness. "We cannot develop without protecting the environment. Development must be in harmony with the environment," she said.

Urging that vacant posts at the Department of Environment be filled quickly, she said preparing projects takes time, so outsourcing is essential. Expressing frustration over the budget shortfall, she said: "We are one of the lowest-funded ministries in the government. With this budget, monitoring, enforcement and restoration are not all possible. When nature is destroyed, restoring it needs more investment."

She added that the budget allocation must be increased to introduce night patrols and technology-based monitoring, and enforcement must be strengthened.

Stressing stronger environmental clearance and monitoring, she asked: "How is someone without any clearance running a business? When we cut off the power connection, our legal team can do nothing. That is unfortunate."

The event was chaired by Department of Environment Director General Dr Md Kamruzzaman. Speakers included ministry Additional Secretary Dr Fahmida Khanam; BUET Professor Dr Tanvir Ahmed; former Department of Environment Director General Dr Khandaker Rashedul Haque; Prokriti O Jibon Foundation chairman Mukit Majumder Babu; Waste Concern executive director Abu Hasnat Md Maksud Sinha; BAPA president Professor Nur Mohammad Talukder; and BELA campaign coordinator Baris Chowdhury.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.