Prime Minister’s Energy Advisor Dr Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury has directed the officials in the power sector to set a target under a specific plan to convert the country’s diesel-fired irrigation pumps into solar-run ones.
“You have to set a goal under a plan to increase the number of solar-run pumps in the irrigation,” he told officials at a discussion meeting organised by the Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (Sreda) on Monday.
He also advised the farmers not to use excessive waters than required for the irrigation.
State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamidalso addressed the event at the Sreda office.
The energy advisor said that a committee will be formed after Eid from the Prime Minister's office so that an effective role can be played in reaching the desired goal in the renewable energy sector.
Emphasising the mobilization of the climate fund, he said there should be an initiative to collect promised amounts of money from the Loss & Damage Fund announced in Cop-28.
Nasrul Hamid said there should be united efforts for promotion of solar irrigation pumps
He said that reducing the use of diesel pumps will also reduce carbon emissions.
“At the same time saving the environment will save a huge amount of foreign currency,” he added.
He mentioned that there are 12.43 lakh diesel pumps in operation across the country.
This is a tough challenge to convert a huge number of solar irrigation pumps into solar-run ones.
“We have to move forward with specific targets. Each diesel pump consumes 1023.34 liters of diesel per year,” he said, adding, the government has to import huge quantities of diesel which is a waste of foreign exchange and also harmful to the environment.
Senior Secretary of Power Division Md. Habibur Rahman, Senior Secretary of Rural Development and Cooperative Department Hamida Begum, Chairman of Sreda Munira Sultana, Chairman of BADC Abdullah Sajjad, Chairman of Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) Md. Mahbubur Rahman, Chairman of Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (BREB) Ajay Kumar Chakraborty, Director of Agriculture Extension Department Badal Chandra Biswas, Director General of Power Cell Mohammad Hossain were also present in the meeting.