Water Resources, Blue Economy, and Environmental Protection
187. In order to ensure optimal use of water resources throughout the country without creating any social and environmental hazards, a well-developed plan for water resource management will be adopted. A national water grid will be created. In order to ensure sustainable development, effective measures shall be taken to protect the environment and conserve natural resources.
188. To solve the problem of water scarcity during the dry season, the canal digging program initiated by Shahid Zia will be initiated again to resuscitate silted canals and rivers and derelict ponds and tanks.
189. Water of rivers, canals, and water bodies has become toxic due to lack of mass consciousness. To stop spilling of agricultural chemicals, industrial waste into water bodies, stringent regulatory laws shall be enforced and mass consciousness will be raised.
190. In order to ensure availability of drinking water sourced from surface water, and purify them, highest measures shall be adopted.
191. The ratio between underground and surface water in Bangladesh at the moment is 70:30. Technological measures shall be taken on the basis of scientific research to enhance surface water.
192. Conservation of water of rivers, haors, and water bodies shall be achieved on the basis of a coordinated policy. Necessary steps will be taken for river training. Land reclamation shall be done through conserving alluvium soils brought in by the rivers. Effective economic management of river borne sands shall be ensured.
193. There are more than 400 rivers in Bangladesh. Of them, 230 are moribund. The moribund rivers shall me made navigable through digging and during dry season these will be turned into water reservoirs. Old Brahmaputra, Dhaleshwari, Gorai, Madhumati, Korotoa, etc. rivers will be dug to make water reservoirs.
194. To ensure conservation of deltaic Bangladesh in a natural form and expand the coast-line and land reclamation, it is necessary to maintain the natural flow of rivers. BNP shall take initiative, if necessary, to build up international cooperation towards this end. The islands that have risen up in the coastal areas will be properly conserved and developed. Appropriate research, development and planned initiative will be taken up to achieve land reclamation and land expansion. To stop river bank erosion, appropriate river training, research and development initiatives will be taken up and erosion resistant structures will be constructed. Measures will be taken to construct coastal polders and reconstruction and rehabilitation measures will be made effective.
195. In Bangladesh we have displaced water and therefore water has occupied our land creating floods and water logging. Effective techniques will be adopted to remove water logging.
196. Flood protection measures will be taken up in haors, hilly land, and other flood-prone areas.
197. Dhaka has become the second worst unlivable city in the world. In the interest of life and living of the inhabitants of Dhaka, wetlands consisting of Buriganga, Balu, and Turag around Dhaka will be made pollution free, and measures shall be taken to bring back normal water flow. In order to reduce environmental pollution in Dhaka, technological and regulatory measures will be taken up. This will make the surface water clean and river navigation shall become possible at low cost. Primate cities like Dhaka and Chittagong and all other divisional and district towns shall have modern and environmentally sound waste management system.
198. BNP shall take initiatives for dialogues in the spirit of regional and mutual cooperation for sharing of water of international rivers according to International River Law. If necessary tough international diplomatic initiatives will also be taken.
199. In order to determine the stock of sea resources and flora and fauna in the Bay of Bengal(blue economy), regular scientific survey will be conducted. The data collected through the survey will be used for sustainable harvesting, use and marketing of the sea resources and flora and fauna of the sea.