Staff Correspondent:

The government is set to prepare a concrete action plan to safeguard the Sundarbans, said Environment Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan on Tuesday.

She came up with the announcement while speaking at a meeting on the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) held at the conference room of the ministry.

“The Sundarbans is only one. We all must come together to save it,” she said.

She also stressed the need for not only a solid action plan but also an effective coordination mechanism to ensure implementation.

She said if any risks to the Sundarbans are identified, both the Department of Forests and the Department of Environment must immediately raise the issue, prompting timely action by relevant government agencies.

The adviser also directed the Department of Environment to monitor the environmental impact of cement factories operating in the southwestern region and instructed the authorities concerned to develop an urgent, time-bound work plan identifying necessary conservation steps.

Highlighting the importance of a bottom-up process for Sundarbans conservation, she said, “The capacity of the Forest Department must be enhanced to prevent illegal activities.”

Dr. Farhina Ahmed, Secretary of the Ministry; Mohammad Navid Shafiullah and Dr. Fahmida Khanom, Additional Secretaries; Dr. Md. Kamruzzaman, Director General of the Department of Environment; Md. Amir Hossain Chowdhury, Chief Conservator of Forests; and Malik Fida A Khan, Executive Director of CEGIS were present at the meeting.