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Higher allocation for Delta Plan 2100

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12:00 AM, January 17, 2020 / LAST MODIFIED: 12:55 AM, January 17, 2020
Higher allocation for Delta Plan
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The government yesterday increased the allocation for the Delta Plan 2100 to 0.86 percent of the gross domestic product this fiscal year, which was 0.58 percent in the previous year.

It has also selected some 80 projects to be implemented on a priority basis, for which about $37 billion or 2.5 percent of the GDP will be spent by 2030.

Bangladesh’s GDP stood at Tk 2,536,177 crore in 2018-19.

The allocation was raised following an assessment of the plan taken in September 2018 with the view to ensuring food and water security and fight disasters.

Under the plan, coastal, varendra (barind), drought- and flood-prone areas along with haor, Chittagong Hill Tracts, riverine and urban areas will get priority.

The planning ministry organised a discussion on the Delta Plan yesterday at the NEC auditorium in the city’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, where an integrated assessment of the plan was presented.

The $4.02 billion Integrated Jamuna-Padma Rivers Stabilisation and Land Reclamation project is one of the major ones taken under the plan, said Shamsul Alam, a member of the General Economics Division, adding that the World Bank has already showed interest in providing $2 billion for the project.

Another $5.28 billion project titled ‘Construction of Padma Barrage and Ancillary Works’ has been added to the list.

The project will be implemented after Bangladesh sits and discusses with the country where the river originates from, Alam said, adding that the GDP will grow at 1.5 percent every year if the plan is implemented. If not implemented, the government will fail to reach its target to bring down the poverty level to zero by 2027, he said.

The Delta Plan is an umbrella plan, so it is not necessary that all projects in it would be implemented, said Planning Minister MA Mannan.

“We can add or deduct new projects under the plan also,” he said, adding that the government will take projects under its annual development programme on the basis of the Delta Plan.


The Delta Plan should be monitored continuously by the local experts and changes should be brought if necessary, said Jamilur Reza Choudhury, vice-chancellor of the University of Asia Pacific.

Foreign experts would be hired if the local ones cannot do the job, he said.

He showed an example of the Padma Multipurpose Bridge where local engineers are responsible for overall management.

The planning minister seconded Reza’s call to give the monitoring job to local experts.

Climate change may cut production of paddy and wheat by 17 percent and 61 percent respectively, according to planning ministry’s estimates.

About 70 percent of the land in 16 districts, where the poverty rates are rather high, are the most vulnerable to natural disasters, it added.
 
The $4.02 billion Integrated Jamuna-Padma Rivers Stabilisation and Land Reclamation project is one of the major ones taken under the plan
Currently average width of Jamuna-padma river is 16 km! It gobbled up a lot of land and depth is shallow. Under this scheme, the average width would reduce to 7 km and river's both bank will be stabilized and their depth will increase. By this process, thousands of square kilometer of land will be reclaimed along Jamuna-Padma banks which would be useful for cultivation and settlement.
Another $5.28 billion project titled ‘Construction of Padma Barrage and Ancillary Works’ has been added to the list.
There was a time when Huang-He was called 'sorrow of China'. Huang-He killed millions of people by it's annual devastating flood and resulting epidemics and famine. But by implementing geo-engineering projects, Chinese people has turned the river now as 'blessing of China'. River management should be the heart of our development thinking. The image of Bangladesh as a country of flood should rest in history.
 
Non-execution of Delta Plan to shrink GDP
Observes mid-term review
FE Report | Published: January 17, 2020 10:21:01 | Updated: January 17, 2020 10:49:58

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Picture used for illustrative purpose only — Collected

The execution of a longer-term development blueprint will raise Bangladesh's annual economic growth by 1.5 percentage points, considering the impact of climate change.

But if the government's Delta Plan 2100 is not implemented, Bangladesh will lose 1.3 percentage points of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth every year, according to an assessment.

The mid-term assessment report of the plan was presented at a seminar in Dhaka on Thursday with planning minister MA Mannan in the chair


Under a research on the "Integrated Assessment for the Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100: Analysis of Selected Intervention," the findings were presented by professor of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) Mansur Rahman.

National professor Dr Jamilur Reza Chowdhury was present as the chief guest at the meeting.

Member of the General Economics Division (GED) professor Shamsul Alam, members of the Planning Commission Shahin Ahmed Chowdhury and Shamima Nargis and experts from the public and private sector attended the seminar.

Speakers said the Delta Plan is a key document of the government, which has considered climate change impact on Bangladesh, especially on its coastal districts.

The plan has been prepared by the GED, where climate change impact, water resources management, land uses, disaster management, agricultural development have been taken into consideration for the development.

Dr Alam said the plan has taken up a total of 80 development projects for the implementation in its first phase until 2030.

Of the total projects, only three have so far been undertaken and another 21 are under the approval process.

The Ganges Barrage project is among the remarkable projects, which will be implemented in coordination with neighbouring India, Dr Alam said.

Meanwhile, some 246 projects out of total 1,564 in the current annual development programme, ADP, are directly or indirectly linked with the Delta Plan, the GED member said.

He said if the plan is not implemented, Bangladesh is unlikely to meet its target of cutting poverty to a zero level by 2030.

"We have failed to repair and maintain 139 embankments of the rivers across the country. Those have almost been damaged," he said, adding flood and salinity levels could be controlled if the embankments were repaired in time.

The embankments' height now stands at below two and a half metres from the original four metres, he added.

The height of every embankment should be 6.0 metres, Prof Alam said.

Professor Jamilur Reza Chowdhury said there is no alternative to repairing the embankments to protect the coastal areas.

Although these activities are costly, the country needs to do so to save the possible losses, he added.

Prof Chowdhury has urged the government to protect the Sundarbans for checking the impact of climate change.

Mr Mannan said the proper implementation of the ADP will help execute the Delta plan.

He also laid emphasis on the use of local expertise as Bangladesh has world-class skilled manpower.

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https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/...cution-of-delta-plan-to-shrink-gdp-1579234861
 

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