RAJSHAHI, Nov 23, 2019 (BSS) – Scientists and researchers at a
discussion here today mentioned collective efforts of all government and non-
government entities concerned has become an urgent need to protect the
existing agriculture system from the adverse impacts of climate change in
vast tract of Barind area.
Water scarcity and droughts pose serious threats to the livelihood of
farming communities and the economy in almost entire Barind areas due to the
adverse impacts of climate change.
They came up with the observation while addressing a drought conference
2019 styled “Water Scarcity and River Management” at Shaheed Sukharanjan
Samaddar Students-Teachers Cultural Center in Rajshahi University (RU) here
today.
Institute of Environmental Sciences (IES) of RU and Paribartan, an NGO,
jointly organized the conference where more than 130 people consisting with
scientists, researchers, environmentalists, development activists, farmers
and students attended.
Omor Faruque Chowdhury, MP, addressed the conference as chief guest
while RU Vice-chancellor Prof Abdus Sobhan and its Pro-VCs Prof Ananda Kumar
Shaha and Prof Chowdhury Jakaria spoke as special guests with IES Director
Prof Golam Sabbir Sattar Tapu in the chair. Paribartan Director Rashed Ibney
Obayed welcomed the participants.
During his keynote presentation, Prof ANK Noman of Department of
Economics in RU viewed the climate change has been acknowledged as the
depletion of natural resources and as a major threat to humanity in the
region and urged the policy planners and others concerned to take immediate
effective measures to address the adverse impact of the change caused by
global warming.
He said necessary steps should be taken to mitigate the adverse impacts
of climate change in the region to protect its living and livelihood
conditions from further degradation.
Prof Noman mentioned that the ongoing climate change at alarming rates
has severely affected every farming productive sector and the agriculture,
livestock and fisheries in particular which is being adjudged as the real
threat to food production.
In his remarks, lawmaker Faruque Chowdhury mentioned that large-scale
adoption of farm mechanization can be an effective means of facing the
existing agriculture related challenges in the drought-prone Barind area.
He identically observed that the region’s agriculture is facing many
challenges including climate change, labour shortage, irrigation water
scarcity and increase in crop cultivation cost. So, promotion of farm
mechanization has become indispensable to address the multiple problems.
Prof Abdus Sobhan said substantial and sustainable promotion of water
and sanitation related modern technologies have become an urgent need as the
vulnerable water and sanitation situation is closely associated with the
climate change.