Underground water level of Dhaka is receding by two to three meters every year, while the rate is three meters a year in Chattogram city. LGRD Minister Tajul Islam on Monday said this in parliament while replying to a tabled question from ruling Awami League MP elected from Noakhali Morshed Alam. He also said at present the average underground water level in Dhaka city is 38 meters to 82 meters, depending on the areas. For Chattogram city, the average underground water level is 100 meters at present. Also Read: JS passes ‘Nursing and Midwifery Council (amendment) Bill 2023 The LGRD minister said that currently Dhaka WASA is supplying 66 percent of its supplied water from underground while 34 percent from surface. He also mentioned that the government has undertaken to construct three big water treatment plants for reducing the dependency on underground water in Dhaka city by 2025. “It is hoped that by 2025, it (Dhaka WASA) will be able to ensure water for Dhaka dwellers--70 percent from surface and 30 percent from underground.” For the Chattogram city, the minister said at present the rate of water harnessing from underground is 8 percent while the remaining 92 percent water comes from the surface. Read more: How to Build Dhaka as a Water Wise City

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has assured the government to provide all sorts of cooperation to help recoup the losses from the recent flood across Bangladesh including Sylhet.   Edimon Ginting, country director of ADB, made the assurance during a courtesy call on LGRD Minister Md Tajul Islam at the latter’s office on Thursday. In the meeting, the minister briefed the country director about the  damages, including roads, bridges, culverts, water, and sanitation system due to the flood and various measures taken by the government to recover the losses as early as possible.  He said ADB always stands beside Bangladesh with help to build rural infrastructures, and in many sectors including water resources, agriculture, education, transport, and fuel.  The minister thanked the regional money lender for its positive role to achieve the sustainable development goals of the country.     In response, Edimon Ginting has expressed his keen interest to work with the government on a rehabilitation programme in flood-affected areas. Mentioning that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been working relentlessly to build a developed  country within 2041, Ginting said Bangladesh has become a role model of development in the world.    

LGRD Minister Tajul Islam on Sunday asked Dhaka Water Supply And Sewerage Authority (Wasa) to fix the price of water in the capital rationally. The minister gave the direction at the result presentation ceremony of technical study conducted by Dhaka Wasa for fixing zone based water price in the city. “Water should be supplied to low income earners and slum-dwellers at a lower price than the people living in affluent zones,” he said. He said “There is no scope to provide water to the rich at a lower price by taking revenue from the poor.” Read: Dengue situation under control, says LGRD Minister Not only water, service costs of other utilities like holding tax, gas, electricity should also be fixed based on different zones, the minister added. He said no organization can run on providing subsidies. Wasa will fix the water price through a board meeting. It is not right to raise the water price irrationally as well as there is no scope to not assist in paying the rationally fixed price. “It will be investigated whether the water price is rising due to corruption and it will not be tolerated,” said Tajul Islam.  

Local Government and Rural Development (LGRD) Minister Md Tajul Islam directed Water Supply And Sewerage Authority(WASA) to increase price in upper class area to provide water to lower class or slum dwellers at a subsidized price. “Not only water, service costs of other utilities like holding tax, gas, electricity should also be fixed based on different zones,” said the minister. The Minister made the directions at a seminar titled ‘Joint Research Project on Covid-19” by Dhaka WASA and ICDDR,B in the capital on Monday. READ: LGRD minister bins Bangladesh's comparison with Sri Lanka He said no organization can run on providing subsidies. “There is no scope to provide water to the rich at a lower price by taking revenue from the poor. WASA holds the authority to increase or lower water prices but it is not justified to give water at Tk 15 when the production cost is Tk 25.” “Yes, it can be given at a subsidised price for low-income earners but not for the aristocrats living in elite areas. We need to establish equitable development,” he added. Minister Tajul Islam also directed to install new pipe lines and take actions against those who are taking or giving illegal connections to ensure providing safe water to Dhaka dwellers. He said, “WASA provides germ free water but when illegal connections are taken and not fitted properly germ enters or it grows in the overhead or reserve tanks of the houses.” “In an area pipelines are at first laid to supply water to 5,000 homes but later the population gets multiplied over time and as a result a water crisis occurs. The number of users in Dhaka is much higher than the supply of water” said the minister.

Stern action will be taken against those who harass people while issuing birth certificates, said Local Government and Rural Development (LGRD) Minister Md Tajul Islam on Sunday. “There are many flaws in the way people get birth registration after the automation of the system and we have identified those,” he said at a view-exchange meeting to speed up online birth and death registration activities. Also read: Govt to bring rural waste under proper management: LGRD Minister No one will be exempted if any kind of harassment of service seekers are reported at any level in birth registration, warned the minister. “We see birth registration as a very burning issue these days. Even then, if there is a complaint against someone, action will be taken.” Regarding the server issue, he said, "We have re-rationalised the server. That's why the server was shut down for some time and launched again.” “The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has helped us financially. They are taking care of the server so that it can be handled properly,” said Tajul. He said birth registration is the basic foundation of a human being. “In order to fulfill the commitment of good governance and build an ideal society, birth registration has to be administered very seriously.” “All the requirements along with the birth registration will be added when everyone will get what they need,” he added. Also read: Buildings in capital must have septic tanks: LGRD Minister He said there are still many mistakes in birth registration. He urged the authority concerned to solve it. In this case, the lower entity is the Union Parishad. There are 25,000 people in a union and cannot reach these places on purpose. In that case the chairmen have to be active by holding monthly meetings, said Tajul. In that meeting every citizen should be informed about who was born and who died. A time limit of 12 to 24 hours may be fixed for the notification, suggested the minister.

Local Government and Rural Development (LGRD) Minister Md Tajul Islam on Sunday said the government is working to bring the waste generated in the city as well as rural areas under proper management. Work is underway to bring the waste under proper management as waste is a challenge for all countries, he said at a meeting on 'Solid Waste Management Information Sharing' organized at Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific (CIRDAP) in the capital. The amount of waste generated in the country has multiplied in the past as the purchase capacity of people increased, he said. Also read:Bangladesh, India share best practices in waste management Tajul Islam said that a lot of garbage, medical waste, is generated in the village now which contains many harmful substances harmful to human health. In this regard, he said, “We are also working following the formula that the developed world is generating electricity through incineration by collecting waste.” In the meantime, with the approval of the Prime Minister, arrangements have been made to start power generation from waste in Two City Corporation of Dhaka, Gazipur, Chattogram and Narayanganj City Corporation, he added. The minister also said all city corporations and districts, upazilas and municipalities will also get electricity generated from waste in phases. He urged everyone to refrain from dumping garbage in rivers, canals, lakes and other water bodies. He further said about three thousand tonnes of garbage is being generated daily in Dhaka North and South City Corporation, two thousand five hundred tonnes in Chattogram, two thousand tonnes in Gazipur and a lot of waste is being generated in Narayanganj. Also read: Italy to invest in waste management in Bangladesh: Ambassador Enrico There is a lot of stench in the secondary transfer station-STS causing a lot of problems for pedestrians and people living in the area. He directed the authorities concerned to review the technical alternatives so that the stench does not spread. LGRD Secretary Helal Uddin Ahmed, Japanese Ambassador to Dhaka Naoki, Country Representatives from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and senior officials were present at the meeting.

All illegal establishments will be evicted from the canals in the city following the demarcation of the waterbodies, said LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Md Tazul Islam on Wednesday. He said this while addressing the inauguration function of the demarcation process of 29 canals and one regulatory pond under Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC).  The event was arranged in the city’s Kalyanpur Regulatory Pond area.   Read: How the life was sucked out of the Suvadda Canal The Minister praised Dhaka's two city corporations for starting the process to free canals from illegal occupants and  evict illegal structures from the water channels after the Dhaka WASA handed over the responsibility of the canals to them. He said the government acquired 173 acres of land in Kalyanpur to construct a water regulatory pond in a bid to ease the Dhaka city’s waterlogging.  But the entire land except three acres went under the illegal land grabbers and different structures were constructed on the acquired land, he said. “The normal water flow will be ensured by removing all establishments inside the land after the demarcation,” said the Minister. He said many canals including Ramchandrapur have already been freed from the illegal occupations.  In collaboration with the administration, the public representatives have evicted various illegal establishments by engaging common people in it, he said. Read: Atiqul renews his vow: All canals under DNCC to be recovered Tazul said the public support is required to bring back the heritage of Dhaka by reviving the old canals.  He sought the cooperation from media in garnering public support, said a PID handout. DNCC Mayor Md Atiqul Islam also spoke on the occasion, while DNCC ward councilors and senior officials were present.

Sylhet's Golapganj municipality mayor has been suspended for his comments against the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives, and the government. A notification signed by Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mohammad Faruk Hossain on Monday contained mayor Aminul Islam Rabel’s suspension order. READ: 3 cops suspended as Rohingya man flees police custody in Ctg The notification said Aminul commented about the Bangladesh government and the ministry during a programme organised by the Greater Sylhet Development Forum in the UK. He said, "We’ve to pay a 5% bribe in advance to get any project released from the ministry." His remarks in London sparked widespread discussion and criticism as it spread through social media. The ministry took the decision amid the controversy. However, his statement over the matter could not be known as Aminul is still in the UK. READ: Cyber tribunal orders probe against suspended Gazipur mayor under DSA Incidentally, former president of Golapganj Upazila Awami League Aminul did not even get the party's nomination in the Golapganj municipality election held on January 30. He was later elected mayor as an independent candidate.

Local Government and Rural Development (LGRD) Minister Md Tajul Islam said the decision about taking legal steps against Gazipur City Corporation (GCC) Mayor Jahangir Alam will be known within a day or two. “The government is reviewing the legal issue and the decision will be known within a day or two,” he said. The minister came up with the information while talking to reporters at the Bangladesh Secretariat. “Legal action will be taken after scrutinizing the city corporation law, and we’ll let you know about it,” said Tajul. Also read: Gazipur Mayor to seek review of his expulsion decision On Friday, Awami League expelled its Gazipur unit general secretary and city mayor Jahangir Alam for life for his controversial comments on Bangabandhu and other local leaders. The decision was taken at a meeting of the Awami League Central Working Committee at Ganobhaban on Friday evening with party chief and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair. On October 3, Awami League issued a show cause notice to Jahangir Alam for his recent viral video with controversial comments on Bangabandhu, regarding the number of people martyred during the Liberation War and other local leaders. He was asked to reply to the notice within 15 days. The notice said Jahangir’s viral comments damaged the image and popularity of the political organization. It is equal to going against the interest of the organization and breaking its disciplines which is a punishable offence according to the party’s constitution, it said. Also read: Awami League expels Gazipur mayor Jahangir Jahangir was asked through the letter to explain why organizational action should not be taken against him. The mayor claimed that conspirators and anti-election groups have spread the 'technologically manipulated video' as propaganda against him.

Speakers in a workshop on Sunday emphasized the need for extending the stimulus loan repayment schedule and relaxing the existing conditions to accelerate the disbursement of loans in the SME sector.  They also laid emphasis on a transparent policy ensuring inclusiveness and transparent policy response so that SMEs and women-led enterprises can tackle the Covid-induced challenges. Read: Stimulus loan for CMSMEs: Disbursement may miss Dec deadline They said the pandemic shock is still there in the business, and the price hike of raw materials has created a problem for the small enterprises to grow as the product price at the consumer level is not increasing.  The workshop, held at a city hotel, focused on 'Covid-induced stimulus packages for SME's and women-led enterprises exploring research policy interlaces.  Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Tazul Islam said the government always appreciates research work and innovations for financial inclusion.  The government is implementing various stimulus packages with a special focus on the CMSME sector so that it can rebound soon, he said. Read: 50 years of Bangladesh: FICCI to unveil 3 growth drivers on FDI  CPD research director Dr Khondaker Golam Moazzem presented the keynote paper on the topic.  Swedish Ambassador to Bangladesh Alexandra Berg Von Linde said Bangladesh women entrepreneurs are doing well and their country will continue to support them.  Kazi Nabil Ahmed, member of the parliamentary standing committee on Finance Ministry, was present at the programme moderated by CPD Executive Director Dr Fahmida Khatun.