Weekly Bangladesh Policy Outlook: Analysis, Truth, Debate.
Bangladesh is a nation defined by water. More than seven hundred rivers thread across its territory, the Bay of Bengal borders its south, and the world’s largest river delta shapes its very geography. Yet for decades, the cities built atop this vast water network have treated water as a threat to be managed away rather…
Dhaka floods after thirty to forty millimetres of rain. A capital of over twenty million people, built on the world’s largest delta, submerges under the modest downpour that any functioning monsoon city should absorb without incident. This is not an act of nature. It is the accumulated consequence of a century and a half of…
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s directive to prepare an action plan for increasing Bangladesh’s carbon credits represents a significant policy shift that aligns the country’s climate strategy with the emerging global carbon market. The announcement, made at a climate change meeting at the Secretariat, touches on both the considerable promise and the practical difficulties that lie…
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Bangladesh has set ambitious goals for power generation, yet actual output consistently trails behind planned targets. The discrepancy between aspiration and delivery can be attributed to a complex interplay of structural, financial, and institutional weaknesses that have gradually accumulated over time. We must understand the reasons behind the country’s continued shortcomings and the necessary changes…
The recycling of used lead-acid batteries has emerged as a major public health and environmental crisis in Bangladesh. Rapid industrialisation, urbanisation, and the widespread adoption of electric three-wheelers have driven a sharp increase in the number of discarded batteries each year. Unfortunately, a large proportion of these batteries are not recycled through safe and environmentally…
Bangladesh is the ninth largest tea producer in the world, with 168 tea estates spanning approximately 280,000 acres across Sylhet, Moulvibazar, Habiganj, Chittagong, and Panchagarh. The industry produces over 100 million kilograms of tea annually, directly employs around 150,000 workers, and supports roughly 4 million dependents. Tea contributes 1% to national GDP and has been…
The Sundarbans, a vast expanse of mangrove forest, occupy the southwestern coast of Bangladesh and extend into India. The Khulna division in Bangladesh constitutes the heartland of this natural wonder. Once an impenetrable wilderness characterized by tidal waterways, dense mangroves, and extraordinary biodiversity, this UNESCO World Heritage Site now faces critical decisions that will determine…
Ruksana Akhter Freelance Architect Chattogram is Bangladesh’s commercial engine. As the country’s principal port city and second largest urban centre, it drives a disproportionate share of national trade, industry, and economic activity. Yet the commercial buildings that house this economic energy are, by any credible measure, dangerously unfit for purpose. A convergence of fire hazards,…
Desk Report Oniket Research Group The indigenous communities of Muralipara in Rangamati live beneath hills that could collapse at any moment (the daily star). For Chingchoyai Marma, a mother of four, the last monsoon was so terrifying that her entire family fled to her in law’s house for two weeks, returning only after the rain…
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Bangladesh’s urban centers are expanding at a rate that has proven to be challenging for its governance institutions to effectively address. Dhaka, which is among the most densely populated cities on Earth, along with Chattogram, Sylhet, Khulna, and Rajshahi, is undergoing rapid and largely unregulated physical expansion. The ramifications of this development, characterized by the…