Staff Reporter:
Water Resources Affairs Minister Md Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Anee yesterday said water is not only the source of life, but also a symbol of equality and justice.
“Therefore, it is necessary to build a just and sustainable future by ensuring safe and sufficient water for all. Proper action plans and steps must be taken for sustainable water resource management,” he said while addressing a discussion organized on the occasion of World Water Day-2026 at Pani Bhaban in the capital.
State Minister for Water Resources Farhad Hossain Azad was present at the event as a special guest.
Anee said that it is necessary to take initiatives to create public awareness about the importance of wa-ter.
He said flood water causes suffering to people while lack of water during drought disrupts people’s lives and livelihoods. The floods in 2024 had caused widespread waterlogging in Sylhet, Cumilla, Noakhali and Lakshmipur districts, he added.
Anee urged the heads of ministries and organizations to take proper action plans and necessary steps re-garding water.
He said that Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman had started the canal excavation programme to get rid of floods. The current government has already inaugurated canal digging in 54 districts. About 1,200 hun-dred kilometers will be excavated in 180 days and 20 thousand kilometers of canals will be dug nation-wide in the next five years, he added.
Water resources and climate change expert Dr Ainun Nishat addressed the event as the key speaker with Water Resources Secretary Dr AKM Shahabuddin in the chair.
Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA) CEO Syeda Rizwana Hasan and BUET’s Water Resources Strategy Department Professor Dr Md Ataur Rahman, among others, also addressed the event.
Bangladesh Water Development Board Director General Md Enayet Ullah delivered the welcome speech.
