[apnic-talk] Community Radio at southern region soon: Azad

Community Radio at southern region soon: Azad

DHAKA, Dec 28 (BSS) - Information Minister Abul Kalam Azad today said community radio would be introduced forthwith at the country's south part, considered as most vulnerable to natural calamities.

He described the region as mush exposed to disaster in comparison to others and said post-disaster response could be prompted in the region with successful introduction of the community radio.

The minister was inaugurating at a daylong workshop on 'Experience sharing on climate Change, Natural Disaster and Response Mechanism' in the Senate Hall of Dhaka University (DU) here. United Development Initiatives for Programmed Actions (UDDIPAN), an NGO, and Centre for Disaster and Vulnerability Studies (CDVS), a newly introduced centre of the DU to provide post-graduate degrees on climate change, have jointly organized the workshop.

Prof of the CDVS Dr Khondoker Mokaddem Hossain in the chair chaired. Vice Chancellor of the university Prof Dr AAMS Arefin Siddique spoke as special guest while adviser of Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme (CDMP) Dr SM Morshed moderating. UDDIPON executive director M Emranul Huq Chowdhury, deputy country director of save The Children, Sweden-Denmark Shamsul Alam Bakul, professors of different departments of the DU, climate experts, scholars, dignitaries and representatives from NGOs and development partners joined the workshop.

The Information minister said the disaster issue got priority at the present context, but it is unfortunate that Bangladesh has no adequate preparation to face any large scale earthquake.

Besides, he said, it is not possible to reach densely populated urban areas with fire fighting equipments if any earthquake occurs. He slammed developed countries for pushing developing countries including Bangladesh towards juggernaut of climate change saying that at around two crore people might be climate refugees if sea level rises to one meter caused by the perilous impact of climate change.

Azad put emphasis on increasing coordination among experts, NGOs and government agencies for tackling the climate change in a coordinated manner. Prof AAMS Arefin said information of the coastal people must be shared among the new generation so that they can mitigate the challenge by utilizing their knowledge and expertise.

M Emranul Huq favoured keeping the climate change issue out of politics and therefore coordination could play a significant role in addressing the challenge efficiently. Each educational institutions ranging from primary school to university level should have compulsory climate change knowledge, said Prof Dr Khondoker Mokaddem.