Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Adviser to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change; the Ministry of Water Resources; and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, emphasized the urgent need to conserve coastal areas for afforestation and agriculture. She said coastal challenges are rapidly becoming more complex and must be addressed through far-sighted decisions with clearly defined short- and medium-term goals.
Speaking as the chief guest at the inauguration of the two-day National Coastal Conference on Saturday at the Bangladesh Military Museum auditorium in Bijoy Sarani, she noted that new forms of disasters are emerging daily, natural resources and agricultural land are being degraded, food security is under threat, and poverty and water scarcity are increasing. As a result, crises such as climate-induced displacement, microplastic pollution, and reduced carbon sequestration are intensifying.
The Environment Adviser said that although earlier plans in many coastal areas have been cancelled, the damage remains, and dismantling shrimp enclosures is again costing hundreds of millions of taka. The reality, she said, is that the government ultimately bears this cost. “If we fail to protect the affected people, our policy positions will become meaningless,” she added, noting that innocent communities are often harmed while issues are unnecessarily politicized.
Referring to Saint Martin’s Island and other areas, she highlighted unregulated tourism infrastructure, restrictions on local vessel movement, and the loss of income for livelihood-dependent communities. She stressed the need to ensure alternative livelihoods for those affected. In this regard, initiatives are being undertaken through organizations such as COAST and BRAC, with support from the Ministry of Agriculture also under consideration.
Syeda Rizwana Hasan underscored that a large population lives in Bangladesh’s coastal regions. If climate risks materialize further, ensuring their protection will require a separate, strong institutional framework for coastal zone management. Water resources, river protection, transport, and agriculture must be addressed in an integrated manner, she said.
The session was chaired by Gawhar Naeem Wara, Convener of the National Coastal Conference, and moderated by Nurul Alam Masud, Chief Executive of PRAN. Special guests included Dr. Mohammad Emdad Ullah Mian, Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture; Md. Enayet Ullah, Director General, Bangladesh Water Development Board; Md. Zahidul Kabir, Deputy Chief Conservator of Forests; Dipak Elmer, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Switzerland in Dhaka; and Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, Executive Director of COAST Trust.
The conference brought together more than 300 representatives, researchers, students, and members of affected communities working on agriculture, environment, food security, fishing communities, informal workers, and disaster management across 19 coastal districts of the country.
