The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

The Special Assistant to Chief Adviser for Ministry of Environment and Forests Raja Debashish Roy yesterday called for greater involvement of the media in the issue of climate change adaptation.

Women are most vulnerable to climate change especially for their proximity to water and, therefore, prone to water borne diseases so analysis of women's participation in the adaptation methods is very important, he mentioned. Climate change cannot be anticipated and the current housing and shelter status is not meant to deal with the effects of the climate change.

This also needs to be addressed, he said as chief guest at a workshop on 'Adaptation to Climate Change: Alternative Option for Drinking Water to Combat Water Borne Diseases in Bangladesh' jointly organised by Centre for Global Change (CGC) and Actionaid at Spectra Convention Centre in the city.

Farah Kabir, Country Director of Actionaid, in her address mentioned that the Government must also come forward to solve water related problems and raise awareness amongst the community on the issue.

Sharmind Neelormi, Associate Professor of Economics Department of Jahangirnagar University presented keynote paper, while Wahida Bashar Ahmed, Theme Leader of Risk Reduction of Actionaid, Ahsan Uddin Ahmed, Executive Director of CGC, among others, spoke at the workshop.

Some recommendations that came up from the keynote paper include reintroducing the indigenous and local method of water purification for drinking, accountability of local government officials and ensuring the voice of women at the policy level as they face the staggering effects of water borne diseases and climate change.

The government must commit to withdraw all forms of price barriers to make water purification tablets cheaper and affordable, said the speakers.

Water logging is a reality now and likely to be aggravated under the climate change and sea-level rise. Since there is a strong possibility that water logging would be spread over a larger area in the south-western region than that being observed today, efforts must be made to address the issue with proper planning, they observed.

The local government institutions at their lowest tier can play a complementary role for the benefit of the local women. In devising plans and programmes, costs of women's sufferings and vulnerability must be weighted against the potential cost of implementing such activities. The community-based adaptation measures can facilitate women's well-being in a major way in the affected areas, said the speakers.