SANGSAD BHABAN, June 6, 2024 (BSS)-The government has allocated Taka 2,130 crore for the Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ministry in the proposed budget for the fiscal of 2024-25.

Finance Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali proposed the allocation while placing the budget for the fiscal 2024-25 in the House here today.

Taka 1,638 crore was proposed for the ministry in the fiscal 2023-24, while its revised budget was Taka 2,068.

In his budget speech, Mahmood Ali said to address the impacts of climate change, the government formulated the Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (BCCSAP) in 2009, which is currently being updated.

To implement the programmes mentioned in the BCCSAP, Taka 3,969 crore have been allocated from the fiscal 2009-10 to fiscal 2023-24 for the management of the Climate Change Trust Fund (CCTF) formed by the government’s self-financing, under which a total of 969 projects (including 908 public and 61 private projects) have been undertaken so far.

Of those, 721 projects have been successfully completed, he said, adding that the Bangladesh Climate Fiscal Framework was formulated in 2014 which has been updated in 2020.
About the government’s steps to check air pollution, he said the Air Quality Monitoring Stations and Compact Air Quality Monitoring Stations have been set up in the divisional towns and the industry-intensive locations to monitor the air pollution.
 

The air quality data received through these stations are analysed and processed online, Mahmood Ali said, adding that based on the analyses, AQI is calculated which is published regularly on real time basis since the November 2023.

Pollution control measures have been strengthened in all the industries of the country to control water pollution, he said.

Besides, the finance minister said, water quality is being monitored regularly at 99 places of 27 rivers and emphasis is being laid on creating environmental awareness among the people along with enforcement of laws to control noise pollution.