Water could become one of Bangladesh’s biggest challenges in the coming years, Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Abdul Moyeen Khan warned on Thursday, calling for sustainable water management to be integrated into all development planning.
“Water may become one of Bangladesh’s major challenges in the future, and globally it could be a major challenge for humanity as well,” he said during a meeting with a UNICEF delegation at the Secretariat.
“That is why proper water management must be ensured from now.”
The minister said Bangladesh could face a serious crisis unless it improved how water resources are managed, particularly as industrialisation, pollution and climate change place increasing pressure on supplies.
He singled out the textile and garment industries for their extensive water consumption, warning that industrial waste was also contaminating rivers and canals.
Coastal communities, meanwhile, face mounting challenges in accessing safe drinking water.
“We must move forward with development, but we have to ensure it does not harm people’s lives or the environment,” Moyeen Khan said.
He argued that infrastructure development and better housing alone could not guarantee improved living standards without access to safe water and a healthy environment.
Citing Sweden's experience, the minister said countries that recognised the environmental costs of unchecked natural resource exploitation decades ago offered important lessons for Bangladesh.
Sweden began confronting these problems around 60 years ago, he said, urging Bangladesh to adopt sustainable practices before its water challenges become more severe.
The meeting discussed safe drinking water, sanitation, climate resilience and improving access to clean water in coastal areas.
Officials said UNICEF is currently involved in projects worth approximately $1.2 billion with the Department of Public Health Engineering, water supply authorities and the Local Government Engineering Department.
The 10-member UNICEF delegation was led by Gillian Mellsop, UNICEF Bangladesh representative ad interim, and included Deputy Country Representative (Programme) Emmanuelle Abrioux.
Representatives from the World Bank and WaterAid also attended.
Senior ministry officials, including Shibir Bichitra Barua, director general of the Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation and Inspection wing, were present.