Staff Reporter

Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Advisor to the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, as well as the Ministry of Water Resources, stated that embankments will be strategically built in key locations to prevent future floods. Additionally, the government is sincerely working on repairing flood-damaged embankments and regulators from recent floods. Modern planning and surveys are being undertaken to ensure embankments don’t collapse in the future, causing floods. The Water Resources Ministry and other agencies are taking swift action on this matter.

She made these remarks while speaking to the press after inspecting the flood-damaged Feni regulator in Sonagazi Upazila of Feni district on Sunday, September 22.

The Water Resources Advisor pointed out that illegal and unregulated sand extraction has contributed to the damage of embankments. To protect the embankments, illegal leases will be revoked, and sand extraction from these areas will be stopped. She also mentioned that illegal encroachments on rivers will be removed. She urged that everyone must work together to safeguard these national assets.

The Secretary of the Ministry of Water Resources, the Director General of the Bangladesh Water Development Board, the Deputy Commissioner, the Superintendent of Police, senior ministry officials, local administration, and other representatives were present during the inspection.

Earlier in the day, she visited the damaged embankments in the India-bordering areas of Nij Kalikapur and Ballamukha in Parshuram Upazila of Feni district. During the visit, she mentioned that they would request timely flood data from India and other international communities. She also visited the family of Shaheed Ekram Hossain Kawsar, a victim of recent anti-discrimination protests, at their home in Paglir Kul village in Parshuram Upazila, expressing her condolences and support.