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Uncertainty looms over reopening of 10 flood-hit schools in Goalanda
Flooding has swamped 10 schools in Goalanda upazila making uncertain their reopening along with other educational institutions next week after over 17 months of Covid-induced closure.
The authorities at these schools - nine primary and one secondary - are in a fix since the premises these schools are still under water, according to sources at Upazila Primary Education Office. Water has entered into even some classrooms.
The authorities can’t decide on whether to ask the students to return to classrooms or wait until the flood water recedes. Good news is that floods have started easing in the area with water level in Padma River dropping.
Read Fight the Flood: Safety measures to take before, during, after floods in Bangladesh
According to the Goalanda Water Development Board, Padma River was flowing 62 centimetres above its danger level at Goalanda point even after it started receding.
Masudur Rahman, Upazila Secondary Education Officer, said “The school ground of Daulatdia Akkass Ali High School went under water and if the flood situation improves we hope that we can take classes on September 12.”
Primary Education Officer Mohammad Kabir Hossain, said “Nine school grounds are under water in the upazila while the classrooms of the schools were also inundated. The Padma river water started to recede for the past two days and we are hopeful about taking classes. But if the situation does not improve, it will be difficult to take classes.”
Also read: School playground turns into waterbody
The flood-hit schools are No 11 Chandkhan Para Government Primary School in Daulatdia, Char Daulatdia Government Primary School, Tenapocha Government Primary School, Betka Government Primary School, Bethuri Government Primary School, Ujanchar Majlishpur Government Primary School, Daulatdia Ghat Government Primary School and Shahjuddin Matubbar Para Government Primary School and a high school in the area.
Education minister Dr Dipu Moni has already said that the country's educational institutions will be ready to host students by September 9, before finally reopening three days later -- bringing an end to what Unicef has called the world's second-longest schools closure due to Covid-19.
“Ministry officials will complete field inspections within September 9 to observe whether the institutions are fully prepared to open their doors for students,” she said, after an inter-ministerial meeting at the cabinet division on September 5.
Also read: More of a pond than a school playground
The decision to reopen all the primary, secondary and higher secondary-level educational institutions on September 12 was finalised at the meeting.
Abu Syed Mandal, Upazila Project Implementation officer at Goalanda, said some 4,000 people have been marooned as flood situation in the upazila remained unchanged, causing immense sufferings to the people.
The government has distributed 36 metric tonnes of rice among the flood-hit people in the upazila in two phases.
Read Faridpur flood: Over 2000ha cropland submerged for nearly four weeks
Bumper beans harvest and good price bring delight to Magura farmers
Bumper production of early winter vegetable beans and its fair price have brought delight for the farmers in Sadar upazila of Magura district.
According to the District Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), the soil and weather of Magura is more favourable for bean cultivation and as it is more profitable than other winter vegetables, most of the farmers have been involved in its cultivation.
Read Farmers in Faridpur relying on Fatema's dhan for good yield
This year the DAE has set a target to cultivate bean on 280 hectres of land in Magura and already 350 hectares of land have been brought under bean cultivation, said sources at DAE.
The growers have been successful in cultivating two new varieties of bean – Rupban and IPSA—in their lands which brought good luck for them.
The farmers have planted bean seeds at the end of Bangla month Joishtha. Generally, bean flowers blossom within 35-40 days of cultivation provided the weather remains favourable.
Also read: Bumper bean yield brings smiles to Faridpur farmers
Where a vulnerable community found they could live in dignity
“Government has given me a home and now I have a tea stall of my own. Wish to become self-dependent rather than begging around.”
Jamila is a 48-year-old transgender living in the Andharia Sutirpar cluster village in Sherpur.
On two acres of special land in Sherpur Sadar upazila a cluster village for 40 transgender people was built by government. The village is now home of 34 transgender whom the district administration relocated on June 7 and handed them over the lands and houses.
Read: Tashnuva Anan makes history as first transgender woman to present the news in Bangladesh
Upon visiting the village, the residents transgender were seen rearing poultries, some cultivating vegetables, fish farming or some working as tailors. People who once were disowned by their own families seemed beaming with potentiality and hope for self-employment.
None of them wish to go back to the age of begging, extortion, and humiliation.
Baishakhi, another transgender, said that with the Tk 5000 fund given by Upazila Nirbahi Officer and her own savings she brought 24 chickens and 25 ducks. With the money earned from selling eggs Baishakhi wishes to get back to a decent life with self-reliance.
Read COVID-19: Bidyanondo stands beside transgender community with foods
Eastern Refinery Unit-2 project: No progress in 11 years
Eleven years have elapsed since Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) took the “Eastern Refinery Unit-2” project to enhance the country’s petroleum refining capacity, but there has been no headway in its implementation so far.
According to official sources, BPC is now evaluating a technical offer of Technip, a French engineering company, which was engaged through an unsolicited process for creating Front End Engineering Design (FEED) involving Tk 371.81 crore for the proposed ERL unit-2 through a contract signed in January, 2017.
“We’re now evaluating the technical offer of Technip to meet our compliances to be qualified before calling for a financial offer,” said Syed Mehedi Hasan, director, operation & planning of PPC.
Read: Quick energy supply: Cabinet approves 5-yr extension of special provision
“Techmip has placed some 650 observations and we addressed most of them and negotiations are going on to settle the remaining 175 of them. Now we hope we'll be able to settle them within the current month,” he told UNB.
The Unit-2 project was taken by BPC in 2010 to enhance the company’s capacity to 4.5 million metric tons by adding 3 million metric tons from the new one.
Currently, the Unit-1, installed in 1968 by the same French company, has an annual production capacity of 1.5 million metric tons.
Read BPC’s ballooning operations call for augmented manpower
Technip completed the FEED for ERL Unit-2 and then placed it to BPC for negotiations.
Once the technical negotiations are completed, the financial offer of the Technip will be opened for the final negotiation to go for a contract, said the BPC director.
State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid said he believes the evaluation and negotiations of Tecnip’s technical offer will be concluded within a week or two.
“Then the French company will be asked to submit a financial offer for negotiations. If we accept the offer, we’ll proceed to award the contract to Technip,” he told UNB.
Read FY21 ADP implementation: Power Division reaches 97.74% target, Energy Division 104.27%
The whole process of implementation of the ERL-2 is being done under the Speedy Power and Energy Supply (Special) Act 2010 which allows his ministry to award any contract to any company without competing the bidding process.
“We’ve preferred Technip for the project as it has a proven track record,” he said.
Staff crunch leaves Sonagazi Health Complex in shamble; patients suffer
Sonagazi Health Complex, the lone medical centre for about five lakh people of the upazila in Feni district, is unable to provide proper medical services due to its manpower crunch and crumbling infrastructures.
Although the health complex was upgraded to a 50-bed one from a 31-bed one in 2014, its manpower, infrastructures and equipment remained unchanged.
According to sources at the hospital, the ceiling plasters of the hospital’s administrative building keep falling off regularly as it was built in 1977.
Read: BGMEA continues supporting Covid dedicated hospitals
Patients are provided medical services in shabby structures as people from nine unions and one municipality of the upazila visit it for treatment.
The medical services of its emergency unit and women's and children's wards are carried out on the ground floor of the two-storey building due to the space crisis.
Its physicians and staff are working with a sense of insecurity as plasters are falling off from its ceilings, while its walls and pillars have developed cracks and most of its doors and windows got broken.
Read Covid-19 in Bangladesh: Big medical bills making many people paupers
Sadequl Karim, a doctor at its emergency unit, said the hospital needs to be renovated or it should have a new building to offer better medical services to the residents of the unpazila.
“One of the major problems this hospital faces is the shortage of doctors and other staff. Everybody is overworked,” he bemoaned.
This hospital, he says, sees a footfall of 250-300 patients in its outdoor section on average every day while 60-70 get admitted to the hospital a day. But they have to stay on the floor due to a serious bed crisis, Karima added.
Read Photos showing how hospitals in Bangladesh struggling with dengue patients amid covid surge
ACC goes slow on NID scam case raising questions over its anti-graft drive
Nearly three months ago the country’s anti-graft body sued 17 people, including police officers, election officials and public representatives, on charge of helping Rohingya refugees get the National Identity Cards and passports.
There has been no forward movement in the case since then raising doubts over sincerity of the Anti-Corruption Commission in pursuing a crime as serious as this. And a sudden transfer of the investigation officer who filed the case has raised even more questions.
ACC deputy assistant director Sharif Uddin, who investigated the scam since it broke out in 2019 was transferred on June 16 this year, a day after he filed the case with its Integrated District Office 2, Chattogram.
READ: ACC approves chargesheet against ex-RHD chief engineer
ACC officials contacted by UNB correspondent parried questions why the investigation officer was hurriedly taken off the assignment and how the case has progressed since then. Their standard response has been that they are either busy or “contact me later.”
The ACC has been reluctant in sharing any update of the stalled case with regard to the serious crime.
UNB contacted ACC director at Chattogram Mahmud Hasan on August 19, but he declined to share anything about this issue over phone.
Read Rohingya issue not to disappear from agenda despite new global challenges: EU
He said "I’m not in office today. Call me next Sunday (August 22) during office time. I can’t talk over phone on this issue. I will talk later in detail after scrutinising the papers."
Limitless waste dumping vitiates Gorai river of Magura
The dumping of huge waste into Gorai River from adjacent Langalbandh Bazar in Sreepur upazila of Magura has continued for a long time. This has been polluting the river and the environment and spreading diseases, according to experts.
Langalbandh Bazar is located on the banks of the river Gorai at the endpoint of the two districts Magura and Jhenaidah. The river has been a dumping place for all the waste from the meat shop, the poultry shop, and the fish and kitchen market.
Read Bottle-shape wastebin to symbolise fight against plastic pollution and waterlogging
Cattle are slaughtered in the open place and wastes from the cattle are dumped on the bank of the river. As a result, there is a strong stench in the whole area. As there is no dumping station, cleaners and market traders are dumping garbage everywhere. Throwing garbage in different areas of the market has turned it into a garbage dump.
Moreover, the traders of the market are collecting the waste of the houses in the villages located near the market and dumping that in the rivers. And so, the environment-nature and biodiversity have been threatened and the entire area has suffered. Pedestrians coming from different areas have to endure the stench.
Read: Kopotakkho now a garbage dumping ground in Chougachha
As there is no designated place for dumping garbage here, Gorai river has been bearing the brunt. A large pile of garbage can be seen there which, according to experts, cause pollution and harm the environment.
Rahmat Ali, owner of Bhai Bhai Computer and Digital Studio in the market, said the garbage should be dumped at designated places. Then the river will be saved.
Valiant freedom fighter Abdul Gafur Mandal said, as there is no waste disposal system in the market, the common people are unknowingly throwing these wastes in the river.
Read Plastic waste increases from 178 tons per day in 2005 to 646 tons in 2020 in Dhaka
As a result, the river is getting polluted, the navigability is lost and the environment is losing its balance. Ordinary people are being harmed in many ways.
In this regard, Shailkupa Upazila Nirbahi Officer Kaniz Fatema Liza said a decision would be taken after inspecting the market as it is located between the two upazilas.
Abdul Halim Mollah, advisory chairman of the Bazaar Banik Samiti, said that the environment of the area was being polluted due to the dumping of garbage in the river as there was no designated place. The place of the cattle market was also full of garbage.
Read: Thousands suffer for ill-planned dumping station in Panchagarh
At the same time, ordinary pedestrians are constantly suffering due to the lack of adequate number of dustbins. Due to lack of enough space in the market, makeshift marts are being set up everywhere around the river.
Member Chand Ali said that most of the garbage in the market is brought and dumped in the open into Gorai River. This is the source of the strong foul smell. It is often seen that passengers are crossing the Naduria ferry ghat of Gorai River covering their noses with handkerchiefs.
Deb Kumar from Langalbandh area said the amount of garbage being dumped in the river has threatened the very existence of the river in the next 20 years.
Read Fighting plastic pollution: EcoVia working to transform RMG waste
However, the Sreepur Upazila administration said the market committee will be given the responsibility to dispose of the garbage at the designated place very soon. Even then, if the garbage is dumped into the river, action will be taken through the mobile court, he said.
A bridge that’s going to connect the dreams of Rangamati islanders to reality
The residents of Jugolika Hill and Puratanbasti, two separate islands in Rangamati district, have been suffering for five decades as there is no bridge over the Kaptai Lake.
But their long wait is going to end soon as the government is constructing a concrete bridge over the lake to ensure smooth communications with the two islands and other parts of the hill district.
The much-sought bridge is going to be opened to traffic in 2022.
Over 3,000 residents of the two islands at Reserve Bazar in Rangamati district have been using boats as their main mode of transportation in the Kaptai Lake as the local authorities were reluctant to take any initiative to construct a much-needed bridge.
Read: Mymensingh to get a modern bridge over Brahmaputra
But now the government is constructing a Y-shaped splendid concrete bridge spending Tk 17.5 crore which will not only connect the residents of the two islands but also add beauty to the popular tourist spot in the hill district.
All the preparations have been taken to inaugurate the bridge in June next, said officials.
They said the bridge is going to be a new attraction for tourists for its spectacular ‘Y’ shape.
According to them, the people of the area were rehabilitated in Jugolika Hill and Puratan Basti islands during the construction of the Kaptai Lake in 1960 without building any bridge for their smooth communication.
Read Metro Rail: The Magic Wand to Improve Dhaka's Transport System
Bridges are immensely important as they facilitate the movement of people, enabling them to take their goods to local markets and send their kids to schools through safe crossing.
Following the demand of the residents of the two islands, Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs Minister Bir Bahadur Ushwe Sing submitted a proposal to the authorities concerned for building a concrete bridge.
On February 13, 2013, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina laid the foundation stone of the bridge, now a visible reality.
Read The terrible road preventing an area's residents from getting married
Experts suggest use of abandoned Sangu platform as storage for imported LNG
Abandoned seven years ago Sangu, the country’s first offshore gas field platform, can be used as a storage for imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) before being supplied to the end users, energy experts suggest.
According to the experts, the offshore platform has a strong potential to serve this purpose as many countries exploit such mechanism to reduce the cost.
“The Sangu platform should be utilised for this purpose with its subsea pipeline before its damage”, Prof. Dr. Ijaz Hossain, head of the Department of Chemical Engineering told UNB on Saturday.
Read Cabinet committee approves 4 proposals, including LNG import
“As the facility remains unutilised after investment of millions of dollars, the government can invite and allow interested firm to install FSRU and supply re-gasified LNG to end users through the existing pipeline with the platform,” he opined.
Sangu was the country’s maiden offshore gas field when it was discovered in 1996 in the Bay of Bengal, 50km away from the land near Silimpur.
Australian oil and gas firm Santos was in charge of operation when the field was permanently shut down and declared abandoned in October 1, 2013 as gas production dropped to 2.0-3.0 mmcfd.
Read Bangladesh signs MoU with Malaysia on LNG supply
Initially it produced around 50 mmcfd of gas, which went up to 180 mmcfd.
According to Petrobangla around 488 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of gas was produced from this gas field from 1998 to 2013.
Sangu was operated by different foreign companies of which Santos and its predecessors Cairn and Shell invested over $ 1.0 billion in the gas field.
But the Sangu platform remained abandoned over the past seven years posing a threat of permanent damage of the gas receiving and supply facility worth millions of dollars.
Read Cabinet body okays 10 proposals including import of petroleum fuel, LNG
State-run Petrobangla, the owner of the platform, is yet to take any decision over the use of Sangu platform either by state-run entities or by private entrepreneurs.
Petrobangla sources said a number of international firms, however, are eyeing to utilize the platform mainly as a gateway to import LNG, re-gasify it and supply the re-gasified LNG through the Sangu facility.
Sangu facilities include the platform in the Bay of Bengal, sub-sea pipeline and onshore gas process plant.
The onshore gas process plant is located at Fouzdarhat in Chittagong.
READ: LNG import: Foreign companies seek long-term deals, but experts want competitive bidding
A 50-kilometre-long 20-inch diameter seabed pipeline was also built between the offshore platform and the onshore plant.
Sangu platform is located at calm sea near the planned Bay Terminal of Chattagram port at Solimpur, which is free from sea turmoil.
It has the advantage to be operational even during the peak monsoon season without any interruption, which the country’s two operational FSRUs (floating, storage, re-gasification unit) lack, said sources.
Read Cabinet purchase body nods LNG import
LNG re-gasification at the two FSRUS -- Excelerate Energy’s and Summit Group’s -- at Moheshkhali island in the Bay of Bengal were disrupted several times before due to rough sea, they added.
Officials said, the Energy and Mineral Resources Division (EMRD) had initiated a move several years back to build or install a small-scale FSRU, having the capacity to re-gasify around 200 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) of LNG by a global firm.
Vitol Asia was in final talks with Petrobangla and its subsidiary, Rupantarita Prakritik Gas Company Ltd (RPGCL) to build the mini FSRU and sell re-gasified LNG to Petrobangla.
READ: Summit signs MoU with Commonwealth LNG to help supply fuel to Bangladesh
But the plan was shelved in 2018 as the government focused more on building bigger capacity FSRUSs and subsequently built two FSRUs having the capacity to re-gasify around 500 mmcfd of LNG each.
To cope with the mounting natural gas demand the government is now considering to allow private entrepreneurs to build more FSRUs, re-gasify imported LNG and supply to national gas grid, said a senior energy ministry official.
Covid-19 in Bangladesh: Big medical bills making many people paupers
When Hasan Chowdhury, a small trader, died at a private hospital in the capital after taking treatment for five days with Covid symptoms, his family found it next to impossible to get his body released by paying a hefty bill of over Tk 4 lakh.
The family received the second blow within a year as they had to take a loan last year after spending all the savings to bear the treatment cost of Chowdhury’s wife who had been suffering from kidney problems before she died fighting for life at a hospital for over a month.
As Chowdhury’s body was lying on a trolley of the hospital for a long time, the close relatives and all family members contributed and got it released and buried him, one of the brothers of the deceased told UNB narrating the ordeals their family went through to bear the treatment expenses.
Read BGMEA continues supporting Covid dedicated hospitals
“My brother was in his mid-70s and unwell. After his wife’s death last year, his health declined. As his condition worsened further with Covid-like symptoms, his son got an ambulance and tried to get him admitted to a public hospital. However, he failed to manage a bed in any such hospital, wasting several hours. Finally, he was taken to a private-bank-run hospital in Panthapath. He was immediately taken to the ICU,” he said.
He said Chowdhury was on a regular ICU regime but no major check-up was done. “After three days, when we insisted, a team of doctors saw him and recommended shifting him to a cabin from the ICU. A day later he was again taken to the ICU as his condition was stated to be critical and he eventually died in the ICU after two days.”
“We’re given a bill of over 4 lakhs for 5 days’ treatment. The body was refused to be released by the hospital as his family couldn’t raise the money immediately in a day. So, we all family members contributed and got his body discharged,” Chowdhury’s brother added.
Read BGMEA continues supporting Covid dedicated hospitals
Maksudur Rahman, a private company employee in the city’s Nakhalpara area, also became almost bankrupt after his wife and daughter received treatment for Covid in another private hospital.
“I was infected with Covid last year. Probably, I got it from my office. My wife and daughter got it from me. As their condition became serious, they were admitted to a private hospital. My sister-in-law who was taking care of them also became ill and was admitted to the same hospital,” said Maksud.
Also read: Maintain health protocols to beat Covid: Health Minister