The UK assured Bangladesh of assistance in rebuilding coastal embankments and constructing cyclone shelter centres to help save people from natural disasters.
This pledge came when Food and Disaster Management Minister Abdur Razzaque met British Minister of State for International Development Alan Duncan at his office in England on Tuesday.
Razzaque told the UK minister that Bangladesh has been a disaster-prone country and climate change has hugely increased the risks by putting people in danger, says a food ministry press release.
He said since the cyclone Aila that devastated the country’s southwestern districts last year, the coastal embankments remain vulnerable.
But those could not be strengthened or increased in height due to financial constraints, he added.
Besides, 2000 cyclone shelter centres in the coastal areas are not adequate, he said, adding that international aid agencies like the Department for International Development (DFID) of UK should come forward on this regard.
In response, Alan Duncan said DFID has already taken a good number of projects to increase the living standards of the low-income people.
He said the issue of rebuilding coastal embankments was not in his knowledge.
He added that he would allocate money, in the next budget of the DFID, for the rebuilding of embankments and setting up new cyclone shelters.
