Bangladesh PM makes river pledge

In pictures: Bangladesh flood misery

The Bangladeshi Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, has pledged to do her utmost to save the country's "severely degraded river systems".

She said that people must be prepared for climate change and engage in more "environmentally-friendly activities".

Bangladesh is criss-crossed by rivers and creeks which are vital for irrigation and transport purposes.

The prime minister also criticised the country's weather forecasters, ordering them to be more alert about cyclones.

Last month Cyclone Aila killed at least 200 people in Bangladesh and India and left 500,000 homeless.

'Imminent catastrophe'

In a speech to mark World Environment Day, the prime minister said it was necessary to protect the country's rivers "to save people from imminent catastrophe".

"All our rivers today have lost the free flows they had in the past due to heavy silt depositions," she said.

"But once the rivers are given back their original beds, frequent overflowing will cease, reducing the negative impact of global climate change in our region."

Sheikh Hasina said that Bangladesh's ample river systems had maintained the "environmental balance since time immemorial".

She said that rivers had been losing their water-retention capacity because of "heavy siltation and unbridled encroachment".

"We must save our rivers," she said, "even though it is going to be a huge, time consuming and challenging project. But we must do it.

"Whatever the costs be, we'll do the job."

She said that rivers could be preserved through dredging and other erosion-countering measures.

The prime minister also said that more must be done to improve the country's food security whenever there are natural disasters such as floods and cyclones.

She said that developing the capacity to store food for at least two to three years was an important first step.