The government has announced a ban on the establishment of any new industrial ventures or development projects within the 10-kilometre Ecologically Critical Area (ECA) surrounding the Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest.
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change will soon issue a gazette notification formalising the decision.
The move was finalised at the 16th meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Environment and Climate Change Committee, held at the ministry’s conference room at the Bangladesh Secretariat. The meeting was chaired by Environment, Forest and Climate Change Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan.
As part of the decision, previous guidelines outlined in section 3.4.4 of the 2017 National Environment Committee policy and resolutions from the 2021 Executive Committee meeting were revised to strengthen protections for the Sundarbans.
An independent expert panel will conduct a comprehensive environmental assessment of all existing industrial units within the 10km ECA. Decisions on the future of these industries will be based on the findings of this assessment and subject to court directives.
The committee also approved amendments to the Climate Change Trust Rules, which will now allow joint project proposals from government agencies, private organisations, and NGOs.
In a bid to combat noise pollution, the ministry will gather opinions from various ministries to develop a coordinated national action plan. It also proposed increasing the enforcement budget for environmental regulation.
Additionally, the committee recommended introducing and expanding risk allowances for Forest Department employees to support their work in hazardous and remote areas.
Another significant resolution was to ensure that by 2025, at least 30% of all public and private construction projects use concrete blocks instead of traditional bricks. A coordination meeting at the secretary level is scheduled for May to move this initiative forward.
Key attendees at the meeting included Faruk E Azam, Adviser to the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief and the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs; and Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Md. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, Adviser to the Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Home Affairs.
Senior secretaries from various ministries, including Dr. Farhina Ahmed (Environment), Farzana Mamataj (Power, Energy and Mineral Resources), Mahbubur Rahman (Commerce), Md. Rezaul Maksud Jahedi (Local Government), and Md. Nazrul Islam (Housing and Public Works), also took part.
Dr. Fahmida Khanom, Additional Secretary (Environment) and member secretary of the committee, presented the previous decisions and current agenda through a detailed PowerPoint presentation.
