Bangladesh needs a huge amount of investment in the energy sector to meet demand for its economic growth as a developing country, said Nasrul Hamid, state minister for power, energy and mineral resources, yesterday.
“We adopted policies to ensure the business of investors in the power and energy sector,” he told a conference session on “Powering progress: Overcoming challenges and driving innovation in Bangladesh’s energy sector”.
For all latest news, follow The My News’s Google News channel. He also assured that the government would guarantee proper safeguarding of such investments.
The conference on “Sustainable Growth and Climate Change” was organised by International Growth Centre (IGC) and the Research and Policy Integration for Development (RAPID) at InterContinental Dhaka.
There are still challenges regarding supplying electricity to every citizen but the government will continue putting in the effort, he said.
There are still challenges regarding supplying electricity to every citizen but the government will continue putting in efforts
— Nasrul Hamid State minister for power and energy
Regarding use of substandard batteries in electric motor-run rickshaws, he acknowledged that it very much posed a serious threat to the environment. But he did not further elaborate on government plans regarding the issue.
There are around four million electric motor-run rickshaws in Bangladesh that consume a huge amount of electricity, said Amrita Kundu, assistant professor, Operations and Information Management, McDonough School of Business, Georgetown University, in a presentation.
With no easy access to finance, these vehicles owners use low-priced substandard lead acid batteries with short economic lifespans which can damage the environment and human health if not properly disposed, she said.
Of the batteries used by such vehicles, around 80 per cent are informally recycled, she said.
Bangladesh as a developing country needs a huge amount of electricity for sustainable development, said Atonu Rabbani, an assistant professor of the University of Dhaka.
Shefali Khanna, a research associate of Imperial College London, suggested adoption of effective policies for promoting solar powered irrigation pumps which would reduce irrigation costs and benefit farmers.
Shahid Vaziralli, head of the research programme at the IGC, moderated the session.