Centre for Water & Environment

Water

Since the early days of BUP the issues of water resources have been identified as an area of its major research thrust. A number of research activities have been undertaken in the fields of water resource management, water quality, effectiveness of water-infrastructures, water-related problems under climate change scenarios, water-based disasters etc.

Water Related Activities

The BUP was actively involved in Bangladesh’s participation in the Second World Water Forum in The Hague in terms of preparation of Water Vision and Framework for Action documents as well as of the regional study (involving Bangladesh, India and Nepal) on water-based sustainable development. The latter was presented in the South Asia Workshop during the Hague Forum.

The BUP is a “Water Voice Partner Organization” of the Third World Water Forum to be held in Kyoto in March 2003. BUP has actively participated in the preparation of a documentary sponsored by Third World Water Forum Secretariat on key water issues around the World. Bangladesh was a country included in documentary and BUP and its several key researchers have featured in it. The documentary was telecast by BBC TV several times in late November/early December 2001.

The BUP is making preparation to organize a side event (workshop) on flood vulnerability reduction in south Asia in association with partner organisations from other South Asian Countries.

Environment

BUP is pro-active in environmental conservation and environmentally sustainable development. It has play a major role in creating nation-wide awareness on various environmental issues such as degradation of land, environmental security, environmental implications of water-related disasters, arsenic in groundwater, promotion of environmentally sound energy technologies, water and air quality, energy-water nexus and all aspects of climate change (science, impacts, adaptation, vulnerability and mitigation).

BUP researchers have been active members in the NEMAP processes. BUP participated in Sustainable Environment Management Programme (SEMP) and completed a study titled “Sharing of Common regional resources” with a focus on cost-benefit sharing in the proposed Sapt-Kosi High Dam project, to be implemented by Nepal in cooperation with India. The study was commissioned by the Government of bangladesh through the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MOEF) and funded by the United Nations development Programme (UNDP). A book has been published by BUP on the same topic.

BUP publishes a biennial journal titled “Asia Pacific Journal on Environment and Development”. The major thematic area for the journal publication include environmentally sound resource management, with a notion to ensure sustainable development in the Asia Pacific region.

BUP organizes seminars, workshops, courtyard sessions, discussion fora and rallies on environmental issues, liaises with like-minded organizations to advance its advocacy for a better environment. BUP took active roles in cohosting sessions in World Summit on Sustainable Development, World Water Forum and other environmental fora organized across the globe.

The most successful environmental advocacy of BUP has led to the implementation of GOB’s policy to phase out air-polluting automatic tri-cycles, replacing those with environmentally friendly four-stroke engines and through effective fuel switching to CNG. Since the analysis of the problem and recommendation forwarded to the GOB under the ALGAS programme (in cooperation with BCAS, BUET and BIDS) in 1998, GOB implemented the programme and the air quality of Dhaka city has improved significantly.

BUP has been providing research based analyses on the benefit potentials for Effective Regional Cooperation on Water Resources Management. Its relentless strive for Regional Cooperation, in cooperation with its regional partners (i.e., IIDS and CPR), has paved the way for signing the treaties on the sharing of the waters of the Ganges River. BUP-led research has shown many other potential cooperation issues, yet to be implemented by the respective parties. BUP believes that in course of time, all of these will be materialized and the regional countries will be tremendously benefited from such effective cooperation. A number of books/anthologies are now available that provide wealth of information on these cooperation potentials.

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

BUP Chairman Dr. Q. K. Ahmad was a Coordinating Lead Author, Working Group II (WG-II) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Third Assessment (completed in 2001) and also a Member of the team for Summary for the Policy Makers and the Synthesis Report. He is also involved as a Lead Author in the IPCC Fourth Assessment (WGII, Chapter 20), 2004-2007.