Citizen leaders have called for a special allocation in the national budget to address the growing challenges facing Bangladesh’s coastal regions.
They said climate change has put the lives, livelihoods, environment, and biodiversity of people in 19 coastal districts at increasing risk, while recurring natural disasters continue to worsen the situation.
They also stressed the need for long-term and coordinated measures to effectively tackle these challenges.
The demands were raised at a press conference organised by the Climate Action Forum (CAF) at the National Press Club on Sunday.
The event was chaired by CAF Convener Aminur Rasul Babul, while the keynote paper was presented by Nikhil Chandra Bhadra, Coordinator of the Sundarbans and Coastal Protection Movement.
Among those who addressed the event were Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University teacher Mir Mohammad Ali, former Dhaka Reporters Unity President Rafiqul Islam Azad, Executive Director of SERAC Bangladesh SM Soikat, Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA) Joint Secretary Humayun Kabir Suman, Sachetan General Secretary Sakila Parveen, Leaders National Advocacy Coordinator Shakil Ahmed, and Youth Climate Action Forum Convener Sadia Sultan Shapla, among others, says a press release.
Speaking at the press conference, Assistant Professor Mir Mohammad Ali said Bangladesh’s coastal region plays a crucial role in the country’s economy, food security, fisheries, and biodiversity.
He noted that the Sundarbans acts as a natural protective barrier for the country and contributes significantly to climate change mitigation through carbon absorption.
He also highlighted that shrimp, crab, and marine fish exports make a substantial contribution to foreign currency earnings. However, he
said the allocation for climate-related initiatives in the national budget remains insufficient compared with actual needs.
He added that the lack of separate and targeted planning for coastal areas remains a significant concern and called for stronger government initiatives in this regard.
In his presidential remarks, Aminur Rasul said ensuring a special budget allocation for addressing coastal environmental challenges is essential.
He stressed the importance of constructing sustainable embankments, ensuring access to safe drinking water, expanding social safety programmes, promoting climate-resilient agriculture and infrastructure, protecting the Sundarbans, and adopting integrated long-term disaster risk management plans.
He also urged coordinated efforts among the government, local administration, civil society, and development partners to ensure the protection of coastal communities and their livelihoods.
During the press conference, a 21-point demand charter was presented, calling for the formation of a Coastal Development Board to ensure balanced development across the country’s 19 coastal districts through inter-ministerial coordination.
The speakers also demanded the establishment of separate offices for the southwest, central, and southeast coastal regions. Other proposals included declaring climate- and disaster-prone areas such as Satkhira, Khulna, Bagerhat, Barguna, and Patuakhali as high-risk zones, creating environmentally friendly economic zones, constructing and repairing sustainable embankments, ensuring access to safe drinking water in remote coastal areas, and upgrading cyclone shelters to be more inclusive for women, children, elderly people, and persons with disabilities.
They said that, beyond infrastructure development, making homes more disaster-resilient has become an urgent necessity.