Disconnect water connection of buildings dumping sewerage waste into Buriganga

There is no provision under the Wasa Act, 1996 and the Wasa Rules, 2011 for giving water supply to structures which have no sewerage lines and septic tanks, but Wasa has given them connections in violation of the law and rules, the HC said.

"The activities of managing director of Dhaka Wasa demonstrate that he does not know the law and rules. If he does it (giving water supply connection) knowing the law and rule, it's a punishable offence," the HC bench of Justice Gobinda Chandra Tagore and Justice Mohammad Ullah said.

The bench made the remark during hearing a pending writ petition filed by rights organisation Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB) in May 2010 seeking necessary directives to seal off the drains and sewerage lines connected to Buriganga and to save it from pollution.

The presidential envoy agreed that the international financial institutions could do more for the issue of climate change.

He also agreed that the displacement due to climate change would be a vital security issue for everybody.

He emphasised using the current opportunities to maximise inclusion for as many people as possible.

Kerry also expressed his interest to be updated about the functions and priorities of the Climate Vulnerable Forum and Global Center on Adaptation.

Both of them agreed to work closely at COP26 and other multilateral platforms.

The clash of environmental priorities underpinning the battle over Tiehm’s buckwheat - conservation vs green energy - is a microcosm of a much larger political quandary for the new administration of President Joe Biden, who has made big promises to environmentalists as well as labor groups and others who stand to benefit by boosting mining.

To please conservationists, Biden has vowed to set aside at least 30% of US federal land and coastal areas for conservation, triple current levels.

But that aim could conflict with his promises to hasten the electrification of vehicles and to reduce the country’s dependence on China for rare earths, lithium and other minerals needed for EV batteries. The administration has called the reliance on China a national security threat.