Staff Reporter:
Water Resources Minister Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Anee said that vetiver grass can be an effec-tive, environmentally friendly, and low-cost natural solution to prevent river erosion, soil ero-sion, and land degradation.
“The stability of soil can be increased through the planned planting of vetiver grass on riverbanks, embankment slopes, haor areas and erosion-prone zones,” he said while speaking at a meeting on “Vetiver Grass Policy for Bangladesh” at the Pani Bhaban in the city’s Panthapath yesterday.
State Minister for Water Resources Farhad Hossain Azad was also present on the occasion.
Anee said that the roots of vetiver grass penetrate deep into the soil and firmly hold the soil in place. As a result, it plays a supportive role in reducing soil erosion caused by rainwater, waves, and currents.
Especially, the use of this grass on river and canal banks, embankments, hilly slopes, and haor areas can protect environmental balance as well as increase the durability of infrastructure,” he added.
He called for increasing the use of vetiver grass to protect the soil of riverbanks and embank-ments in Bangladesh.
State Minister Azad said that due to climate change, the risks of floods, river erosion, excessive rainfall, and soil erosion are increasing in the country. To address these natural disasters, im-portance must be given to nature-based and environmentally friendly solutions rather than rely-ing solely on concrete infrastructure, he added.
