Experts for reviewing water management projects taken under cordon approach
The pending water management projects which were undertaken in accordance with the "cordon approach" should be reviewed as the method appears to be unfit for Bangladesh's ecology, experts have said.
"Cordon approach" is a method mainly for flood control, involving embankments, floodwalls and sluice gates etc.
"The implementation of a wrong method [cordon approach] has resulted in the degradation of rivers in Bangladesh over the past 70 years," said prominent economist and former head of development research at the United Nations Dr Nazrul Islam, while delivering the keynote speech at a seminar jointly organised by Bangladesh Water Development Board and Dhaka WASA on Thursday.
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Presided over by LGRD Minister Md Tajul Islam, the project highlights the significance of the directives from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina outlining Bangladesh's future water development efforts.
Addressing the seminar as a guest, Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury said in order to ensure people's welfare, rivers, reservoirs and environment must be protected.
"We have to go with the river, with nature, to prevent environmental degradation. Going against nature, we can never bring benefits. Everyone should work together to fight sustainable development and climate change and continue development
"We have to live in co-existence with floods and natural disasters. Interrupting the normal flow of river water destroys the environment and biodiversity," he added.
In his speech, Dr Nazrul said the cordon approach in water management in Bangladesh should be replaced with an open approach.
"Dams and sluice gates cannot be constructed everywhere to block the river water. It is not possible to prevent the river from erosion and flooding in Bangladesh by any foreign method."
He said due to the implementation of the cordon method, on the one hand, the floodplain has been deprived of river water and silt flow, and the condition of relatively small rivers, canals and ponds located in the floodplain have degraded.
Furthermore, Dr Nazrul also called for the conversion of the projects - which have already been implemented using the cordon approach - into an open approach.
