Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Thursday presided over a high-level meeting to determine the course of action for protecting the country’s river and canal banks.
The meeting, which discussed utilisation of vetiver grass [Binna Ghash] to protect river and canal banks, was held at the Cabinet Division in the Secretariat, according to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
During the session, Mohammad Shariful Islam, pro-vice chancellor of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), delivered a presentation on using environment-friendly and sustainable vetiver grass instead of concrete blocks and geo-blocks.
The presentation highlighted its application in preventing erosion on Bangladesh’s riverbanks and canal banks, preserving coastal embankments, and protecting roads in char [river island] and haor [wetland] areas, as well as along roadsides and railway lines.
The presentation added that vetiver grass offers an effective, environment-friendly, and sustainable solution to control erosion along riverbanks and canal banks.
Having already been deployed experimentally in several locations across the country, the meeting discussed implementing this initiative on a larger scale through dedicated projects. The prime minister praised such alternative and innovative initiatives for environmental protection.
The PMO further said the prime minister directed the ministries and agencies concerned to take necessary effective measures to implement the plans.
The meeting was attended by Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Minister for Commerce Khandaker Abdul Muktadir, Minister for Water Resources Shahiduddin Chowdhury Annie, State Minister Farhad Hossain, Minister for Road Transport and Bridges Rabiul Alam, State Minister Habibur Rashid, PM’s Principal Secretary ABM Abdus Sattar, and PM’s Additional Press Secretary Atikur Rahman Ruman, alongside senior officials from the PMO and respective ministries and divisions.
