16 Pran’s turmeric powder to be tested for lead n Tribune Report The government has decided to test Pran’s turmeric powder as the US government has recently detected excessive use of lead in the item available in stores there. “The National Consumer Rights Protection Department has started collecting packets of Pran’s turmeric powder across the country through random sampling,” Commerce Secretary Mahbub Ahmed told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday. The samples would be tested at the laboratories of Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) and Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR). “We will decide the fate of Pran’s turmeric powder after the testing,” the commerce secretary said. The US government’s test found high levels of lead, ranging from 28ppm to 53ppm in Pran’s turmeric powder. The permissible limit of lead in a product in Bangladesh is 2.5ppm. According to BSTI officials, the limit may vary from country to country but it cannot exceed 2.5ppm in any country. The Pran-RFL Group would be in deep trouble if the US government’s finding turned out to be true, Commerce Secretary Mahbub Ahmed said. The Pran-RFL Group has, however, already refused to withdraw the product from local markets, claiming to have tested samples of the spice and found no lead in it. l
DHAKA TRIBUNE
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Tuesday, October 22, 2013
South Asia on the brink of water crisis Water strategists warn against commodification of water supply n Tribune Report South Asian countries may face scarcity of water by 2030 due to climate change, warns a report released by the Mahbub ul Haq Human Development Centre. The report titled “Human Development in South Asia 2013: Water for Human Development” found that regional wellbeing was largely determined by access to water and sanitation. While the region has done relatively well in ensuring people’s access to water, its performance, however, has not been up to the mark in terms of sanitation, which eventually compromised the health of people and the overall quality of life, the report said. One-in-three people already lives in a country with moderate to higher water crisis, and by 2030 nearly half the global population could be facing scarcity of water with demand outstripping supply by 40%. It said competition for water had been growing among farmers and herders, industry and agriculture, town and country, upstream and downstream, and across borders. Climate change and the corresponding needs of the ever-growing population, coupled with prosperity has meant that all must work together to protect and manage water – a fragile and finite resource. The overview of the report says: “South Asia is at a critical juncture with respect to its water resources. The management of shared river systems
Proffesor Ainun Nishat Speaks at the launching ceremony of a report on Human Development in South Asia 2013 yesterday, organised by Institute of Governance Studies, Brac University RAJIB DHAR needs to evolve from a unilateral or bilateral perspective to a regional one, where optimal and sustainable use of water is ensured.” Speaking at the launch of the report, development thinkers stressed that South Asian countries must find an end to disputes over shared rivers and work out a mechanism of basin-wise management for a better future for the population in the region. They cautioned that commodification of water supply in the region is being considered a major threat to human security and development. They also voiced their concerns at the increase in unsustainable agricultural and indus-
trial use of water. Former chairman of the University Grants Commission Professor Nazrul Islam unveiled the cover of the report at a programme in Dhaka yesterday. The programme was chaired by Ainun Nishat, water resources and climate change specialist and vice-chancellor of Brac University. Former finance minister M Sayeduzzaman, Distinguished Fellow of the Centre for Policy Dialogue Debapriya Bhattacharya and former energy secretary AMM Nasiruddin were present at the programme. Mahbub ul Haq Human Development Centre was set up in November
1995 in Pakistan’s Islamabad by the late Mahbub ul Haq, founder and chief architect of UNDP Human Development Reports. Prof Nazrul Islam said: “Access to sanitation and safe water is a human right. It should be included in the constitution. Bangladesh has policies and plans; but unfortunately, steps have not been taken for proper implementation because of inefficiency and corruption.” Terming the report timely, Ainun Nishat said: “Because of climate change, rainfall has declined by 40% during monsoon, resulting in a change in harvesting patterns. Demand for water is increasing day by day, while the level of underground water is sliding, which is alarming.” Sayeduzzaman said water management was imperative for meeting the UN’s Millennium Development Goals by 2015. Debapriya Bhattacharya said water pricing was important for human development and efficient water management. “One in every nine people has no access to water …Inequality in water distribution could be seen everywhere.” Every year, the human development report published by Mahbub ul Haq Centre analyses an issue concerning socio-economic development in South Asia. Realising the critical importance of water and its significance for survival and prosperity, this year’s report discusses water in a people centered framework and discusses the various channels through which it directly or indirectly affects human development. l
Civil rights leader threatened by MP at Mymensingh n Tribune Report Shacheton Nagorik Shamaj, a platform for civil society members in Gouripur in Mymensingh, expressed deep shock and condemned State Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr Captain (Retd) Mujibur Rahman Fakir (Mymensingh-3, Gouripur) for forcefully entering their leader’s house and taking video shots, through a press release. According to the press statement, Dr Mujibur Rahman Fakir went to the house of Ekram Hossain, convener of the Shacheton Nagorik Shamaj, with police and local Awami League leaders on Friday. Standing on the premises of the house, he shouted to the family members asking where Ekram was, what he did and if he was going to take part in the upcoming election. He slammed Ekram using abusive words. Without taking permission from the family members, local Awami League leader Munnaf started taking video shots inside the house. Following the incident, Ekram’s younger brother Advocate Sakhawat Hossain went to file a general diary with Gouripur police station on the same day around 11pm. However, police refused to file the GD, the press release said. Mujibur Rahman Fakir told the Dhaka Tribune that he went to a graveyard nearby Ekram’s house that day to offer prayers. He claimed that such allegations were baseless. l
RANA PLAZA TRAGEDY
Sowing seeds of hope amidst the debris n Ashif Islam Shaon
Begum Khaleda Zia, chairperson of BNP, exchanges views with the leaders of Grand Alliance after the press conference at Westin Hotel yesterday
Top foreign diplomats upbeat about dialogue prospects n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman Three top foreign diplomats have welcomed the speeches of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and opposition chief Khaleda Zia as they feel it will open doors for engaging in constructive dialogues. After Khaleda Zia’s afternoon speech yesterday, the high commissions of Britain and Canada in Dhaka issued separate statements, while US Ambassador Dan Mozena spoke with the press after meeting with the opposition chief in the evening. The diplomats also hailed Khaleda Zia’s remarks about her commitment to fight international terrorism, promoting regional cooperation and renouncing violence. They also appreciated her pledge to move away from the culture of blamegame politics and focus on the challenges facing Bangladesh. Mozena said a number of exciting things had happened over the last couple of days. “I hope that the lieutenants of the two parties, the major two parties, will sieze this opportunity to engage in constructive dialogue to find
a way forward, an agreed way forward to hold free and fair and credible election.” “That’s my hope. So I am feeling optimistic that is what will happen,” he said. In reply to a query about his meeting with the opposition chief, the US Envoy said there was no discussion about what might happen if the parties fail to reach agreement. “We discussed prospects for dialogue and we discussed the prospects for finding a way forward to holding a free, fair and credible election.” Mozena said Zia had shared some of her visions with him. “The honourable leader of the opposition shared some of her views about what a possible government [would be like], if she were elected,” he said. About the ban on demonstrations in the capital, he said peaceful rallies were an important part of the democratic process. Meanwhile, British High Commissioner to Dhaka Robert W Gibson in a statement said the suggestions made in Zia’s speech would be considered by the government.
“Meaningful dialogue will quickly begin which would offer the people of Bangladesh more certainty over the election process and lead to elections that are transparent, inclusive and credible,” the British envoy hoped. He also hoped that all sides would approach the dialogue in a spirit of compromise and trust, and that while the dialogue was continuing, they would refrain from any disruptive acts of violence or harassment. The Canadian High Commission in its statement welcomed the proposals by the government and by the opposition. It urged the parties to use this opportunity to engage in negotiations in good faith so that transparent, credible, inclusive and peaceful elections could be ensured. “Good faith political dialogue will help create an environment free of political unrest and violence. We continue to call on all parties to respect the rights to freedom of expression and of assembly and urge everyone to exercise these rights in a peaceful and democratic manner eschewing violence,” the statement read. l
SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN
MV Gladys reaches Chittagong port jetty after 82 days
n Tushar Hayat, Chittagong
MV Gladys – an Indonesian flag carrier vessel which went inoperative in the Andaman Sea on July 30 – managed to arrive at the berth of Chittagong Port yesterday 82 days after it reached the outer anchorage. Port sources said five tugboats dragged the vessel laden with 849 Twenty Equivalent Units (TEUs) of container to the Chittagong Container Terminal jetty safely from the outer anchorage around 2pm. Captain M Shahajahan, member (harbour and marine) of CPA, said they had to take adequate security measures during bringing the vessel to the jetty as the capsize of such a vessel in the port channel could paralise the whole port. According to sources at the Chittagong Customs House, the vessel had been carrying goods worth Tk5bn. MV Gladys, which sailed from Port Klang of Malaysia, went inoperative near the Myanmar coast of the Andaman Sea on July 30 forcing 18 crewmen of the vessel to leave it while three others remained onboard. l
The Rana Plaza collapse is a grim reminder of the perils of excessive greed and corruption, bringing about the deadliest garment-factory disaster in history, but it is also a polite reminder that hope can persist even in the most desperate times. Perhaps the biggest victims of the disaster—which killed over 1,100 people and destroyed dreams of thousands more—were the children of those killed or survived to live the life of an amputee. They were left with a bleak future. Many of the children who used to attend schools before ceased doing, not only out of the post-disaster psychological trauma, but also because they were simply unable to do. They had little or no money to afford schooling and no assurances of meals. “After the tragedy, we noticed a sufficient dip in class attendance. Many children stopped coming at all,” said Gazi Shahana Islam, headmistress of Imandipur Govt. Primary School, situated around one and a half kilometre off the Plaza. Teachers waited for a week to see if they come back and, when they didn’t, started visiting their homes individually. “It transpired that those students, who either lost one of their parents or both, were upset. So we waited for about a month for their recovery, but more than two months in the accident, most of them couldn’t still make it to the school.” The teachers then found out the more pressing reason for their absence, which had nothing to do with their mental shock. “Some children lost their mothers, some their fathers, all earning members of their family. With their deaths came money crisis, which created another problem: scarcity of food,” Shahana said.
“In many families, there was no one to cook in the morning. Some of our female students had to do the cooking themselves and other household chores, and some boys were busy helping out their parents. “Some of them who managed to come had to starve till afternoon.” That gave Shahana the idea to manage a day-meal for the children. So funds were raised from locals and teachers agreed to donate part of their salary for buying foods. But that was not enough. “In October, an NGO called Sheva Nari o Shishu Kallyan Kendra came to our help and started supplying two meals a day for the 30 students who lost their parents and had no one to cook at home in the morning,” Shahana said. “And now, as expected, a good number of the absentees have returned.” The organisation rented an office near the school to organise their affair. Locals, friends of teachers and the NGO’s employees donated large sums of money voluntarily. “Our initial plan is to continue this programme for four more months; by that time we will have decided what to do afterwards,” said Bulbul Ahmed Joy, the monitoring and evaluation officer of Sheva Nari o Shishu Kallyan Kendra. He further said there are still a large number of dropouts and absentees in other schools and colleges around Savar, who couldn’t resume their studies because of financial constraints or problems at home. “I am lucky that I am fighting for some of these dropouts. But I don’t know what will happen when the donations dry up,” he added. In this regard, Shahana said: “I think the government and affluent people should do something about these children, so that they can rebuild their life which was shadowed by the tragedy.” l
‘Likely service disruption’ strikes Facebook n AFP, Washington A “likely service disruption” struck Facebook on Monday, preventing its 1.15 billion members from updating their status on the social media website. Users trying to do so were met with an error message that stated: “There was a problem updating your status. Please try again in a few minutes.” “Facebook status update issues are not uncommon, but this one seems global - we’ve tested it from several
IPs and received the same message,” technology website Mashable.com reported. Downrightnow.com, which monitors service outages on major websites, reported at 9:30 a.m. (1330 GMT) that Facebook had encountered a “likely service disruption.” There was no immediate comment from Facebook, but the problem was sufficiently widespread for #facebookdown to become a trending hashtag on Twitter. l
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