Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Dr. Abdul Moin Khan has said water could become one of the biggest challenges for Bangladesh and the world in the future.

He said failure to ensure proper water management could lead to a major crisis in the future. Therefore, the importance of water and its proper management must be considered in every aspect of the country’s development planning.

The minister made the remarks during a meeting with a UNICEF delegation at his office at the Secretariat on Thursday (October 8).

The meeting discussed a range of issues, including the supply of safe and potable water, sanitation, addressing the impacts of climate change and ensuring access to clean water in coastal areas.

A 10-member UNICEF delegation, led by UNICEF Bangladesh Representative ad interim Gillian Mellsop and Deputy Country Representative (Programme) Emmanuelle Abrioux, attended the meeting. Representatives from the World Bank and WaterAid were also present.

The meeting was informed that projects worth around $1.2 billion are currently being implemented in collaboration with UNICEF by the Department of Public Health Engineering, WASA and the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) under the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives.

Highlighting the importance of safe and potable water, the minister said water is directly linked to human life and security. He said water could become one of Bangladesh’s biggest challenges in the future, while globally it could also pose a major challenge to humanity. Therefore, proper water management must be ensured from now on.

Emphasising the importance of learning from the experiences of developed countries, he said countries such as Sweden realised the negative consequences of indiscriminate use of natural resources nearly 60 years ago. Bangladesh is now facing similar realities, he said, adding that the experiences of such countries should be used to develop sustainable water management systems.

The minister said water is deeply connected with Bangladesh’s development and industrialisation. The textile and garment industries, in particular, consume large amounts of water. At the same time, industrial waste is polluting the water in many rivers and canals across the country. Coastal areas are also facing various water-related challenges.

He said Bangladesh must continue its development journey, but care must be taken to ensure that development does not harm people’s lives or the environment. Ensuring good housing alone is not enough; safe water and a healthy environment must also be guaranteed for the people.

Director General of the Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation and Inspection Wing Shibir Bichitra Barua, along with senior officials of the ministry and its subordinate departments, was present at the meeting.