Dhaka: Water Resources and Environment, Forest and Climate Change Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan announced that a protection order to regulate tourism in the haor areas under the Bangladesh Water Act 2013 is on the verge of finalization. ‘We have already prepared the draft of the protection order and will finalize it, which will include what tourists can and cannot do when they go to haors,’ Rizwana stated at a seminar titled ‘Crisis and Prospects of Haors’ at Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU).
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Rizwana explained that the protection order will detail specific areas where houseboats are permitted and the directives they must adhere to. Identifying herself as a haor resident from Habiganj, she emphasized the distinctiveness of the haor ecosystem, describing it as a rare sea of fresh water where green Boro paddy thrives before the monsoon season.
The Haor Master Plan, initiated in 2003, has recently seen the draft of its update finalized by the government, Rizwana noted. She highlighted the directive to incorporate local community feedback in the plan’s revision, facilitated through a workshop. The feedback will be integrated into the draft, which will soon be available online.
Rizwana further mentioned that the updated master plan will be completed with contributions from haor specialists. Instructions have been issued to delineate haor boundaries. A preliminary list of suitable tree species for various haors has been devised, and discussions with the Ministry of Health are ongoing regarding the potential establishment of a floating hospital in the haor region.
The seminar also featured contributions from Mohammad Habibur Rahman, Director General (Additional Charge) of the Bangladesh Haor and Wetland Development Department, RTV News Editor Ilias Hossain, Tahmina Khanam, Executive Director of the Green Concern Foundation, and Journalist Erfanul Haque Nahid. The event was chaired by Rafiq Muhammad, President of Netrokona Journalists Forum, Dhaka.