Growing green

ECONOMIC stimulus is the order of the day. This is as it must be, as governments around the world struggle to jump-start the global economy. But even as leaders address the immediate need to stimulate the economy, so too must they act jointly to ensure that the new de facto economic model being developed is sustainable for the planet and our future on it.

What we need is both stimulus and long-term investments that accomplish two objectives simultaneously with one global economic policy response — a policy that addresses our urgent and immediate economic and social needs and that launches a new green global economy. In short, we need to make “growing green” our mantra.

‘Formulate policy for urban points’

Environmentalists and urban planners yesterday called for formulating a comprehensive policy for the urban points across the country, as more and more people are likely to move toward townships in the future as a result of climate change.

The authorities may consider setting up the industrial or economic zones outside the cities and decentralise administrative and economic activities and other facilities to reduce pressure on the cities, they said at a seminar on ‘Climate change and climate refugee: Urbanisation problems and remedies’.

Govt urged to protect rivers

Speakers at a meeting yesterday urged the government to save Buriganga, Turag, Balu and Shitalakhya rivers from pollution and encroachment.

They said many of the cabinet members and lawmakers of the government are already involved with the movement for saving the rivers around the city.

The meeting was organised by Save the Environment Movement (SEM) at Sadarghat in the city.

They also called for steps to stop dumping of industrial wastes especially from Hazaribagh tannery and Wasa and conduct drives against the encroachers.

SEM Chairman Abu Naser Khan, Inamul Haque, Manzur Morshed Opu and SEM Programme Coordinator Kamal Pasha Chowdhury addressed the meeting.

the daily star 31.01.2009

Environment offenders having a field-day

Time to show zero tolerance

BRICK kilns, a necessary source of building material in our context of underdeveloped prefabs, are obviously not without air pollution risks. Coal-burned furnace, or for that matter, any furnace would emit carbon monoxide overhanging the immediate surrounding of brick factories. That is why they are required under the law to be set up outside city limits, preferably in empty spaces to keep the habitats breathing free of pollution.

Even so, if we should take a fresh count of where they are mostly located, we are sure to be perturbed by their forming concentric circles over certain areas by contrast to their sparse location elsewhere. What we are trying to build up to is the impelling need to recognise the level of risk involved in operating brick kilns as such; and indeed how much more the hazard would be exacerbated by the use of fire wood to burn clay slabs in furnaces. Actually, our front-page photograph last Monday showed a vast pile of fire wood lying around a kiln at Amin Bazar on the city outskirts.

This is a brazenly defined violation of the Brick Burning Control Ordinance, 2001. It prohibits use of fire wood making it a punishable offence. The reason for tabooing it is very strong: for, it means a double environmental degradation. For one thing, it entails felling of trees deforesting an otherwise wooded expanse; and secondly, it belches carbon monoxide into the environment.

This blowing of the whistle, we would like to believe, should not be in vain; instead it must be cashed in on by the Department of Environment and the industrial authority for licensing to apply the law strictly, and in the process, bring the recalcitrant, including those who abetted in the crime, to book.

Clearly, the photograph is an eye-opener to the old environmental offences returning with vengeance; only because we allowed the culture of impunity to strike deeper roots.

the daily star 31.01.2009