Tag: Knowledge Flows in the Rivers

Episode 5. Facilitating Knowledge Sharing between Bangladesh and the PRC

Edimon Ginting, the Country Director of the ADB Resident Mission in Bangladesh, reflects on the importance of South-South cooperation and the need to facilitate the exchange of best practices between Bangladesh and the PRC, particularly in areas related to infrastructure development, technology, and the integration of nature and people.

Transcript

We have heard that the PRC is moving the development from the past development to ecological civilizations.

I think in that context, lots of good practice are being done here.

We’re here to see how the process is being developed, and to see the nexus between development, people, and nature.

What is very eye-opening to me is three things.

Number one, of course we know the PRC in terms of innovative infrastructure development.

They designed the infrastructure to the need of the future.

Secondly, after you develop the infrastructure, you need to run it. In running it, they really bring technology and people with it.

I think some of the technologies are here.

We’re seeing here now AI is engaged.

People are doing a lot of research to really bring the functionality of the infrastructure to the next level.

A lot of things that the PRC can share to the world.

As ADB, we should facilitate this through South-South corporations, also internally sharing between departments, so that we can serve our clients in the future, for Bangladesh.

The way I reflect on Bangladesh during this visit, Bangladesh has very little land.

So development which embrace nature and people is even more important.

The challenge is a lot bigger.

I hope they also will rethink their river management, reimagine the new development of the future, putting nature and people together in a faster way.

One other thing that I’m very impressed during the visit: the hospitality of Chinese government, the eagerness to share good lessons to the world.

We as ADB, should also be facilitating some of the sharing together.

Episode 4. Towards Ecological and Economic Balance in Bangladesh

Md. Shahriar Kader Siddiky, the Secretary of the Economic Relations Division at the Ministry of Finance in Bangladesh, shares insights on how Bangladesh can learn from the PRC’s comprehensive approach to river restoration, which balances ecological conservation and economic development.

Transcript

We have come here with a vision.

Maybe you have heard that we have started a project which is called river restoration in Bangladesh.

Under that project, we will be having some initiatives for river restoration, for ecological restoration, and at the same time for economic development.

So initially, we’ll be having some development projects surrounding the Dhaka rivers, and then we’ll move to the rivers of Bangladesh.

So here we have come to learn that how specially the Yellow River and Yangtze River has been restored, and at the same time we wanted to understand how they have comprehensively made the plan including policy reforms, governance, economic activities and so on.

During the last two days, we were having some insights from the Ministers of Water Resources and Ecological Department, and we could understand that they have transformed these two rivers into economic reality.

In fact, we were trying to understand that how they organized the whole process. The main learning is they have had many reforms including policy reforms, and economic reforms, and at the same time they have created more opportunities for the people, specially to have better water, better environment.

So which we have learned a lot for the ecological balance and economic balance.

Episode 3. Replicating the PRC’s Approach to River Restoration

Nazmul Ahsan, the Secretary of the Ministry of Water Resources in Bangladesh, highlights the key lessons learned from the PRC’s experiences in managing the Yangtze River and the Yellow River, and how these can be applied to river restoration efforts in Bangladesh.

Transcript

We have visited especially two things, one is Yangtze River, and another is Yellow River. And Yangtze River Economic Belt where now I am standing here, it is seen that the development and nature is actually residing side by side.

So this is an experience and example for us.

Not only that, in this case, you are implementing, or the PRC is implementing the river shape type projects here.

It is an innovative idea for us.

It might be implemented to our country also.

Another thing is that, once upon a time, Yellow River that means the Huanghe [黄河] river, which was basically cradle for the PRC.

Nowadays, it is under the Yellow River Ecological Corridor, which is a very successful project.

We have visited that one.

And we visited Hubei Huanggang Urban project.

There is a lesson for us, and we have wetlands in Bangladesh also.

So we can replicate this in Bangladesh.

From the experience of the PRC, we have many things we have learnt, and we can try to implement this in Bangladesh.

Episode 2. Exploring Opportunities for Bangladesh-PRC Cooperation

Mohammad Emdad Ullah Mian, the Member (Secretary) of the Physical Infrastructure Division at the Planning Commission of Bangladesh, discusses the potential for further cooperation and collaboration between Bangladesh and the PRC, particularly in the areas of multimodal transportation and the development of a “Smart Bangladesh”.

Transcript

I think it is kind of an eye-opening session for me, and the way I am thinking is, so many we can actually cooperate and coordinate with each other.

We particularly had meeting with the National Development and Reform Commission and Ministry of Finance, it’s kind of my counterpart ministry here.

We come to a consensus that we will be further cooperate and collaborate, we can change our ideas, learn and share, in particular the planning issues.

I am actually looking after the physical infrastructure division, so based on this first-hand experience, what I am thinking, we should have an idea which is more relevant to the multimodal transportation system, meaning rail, road, air, and also the river.

We don’t have that standard model, if we can get some ideas and experience from the PRC, that will really help a lot.

And we came here with ADB people, if we can connect ADB, as well as the cooperation with the PRC, then it will be a synergic way, we can actually get all these stuffs.

And also, the PRC and Bangladesh now have good potentials to go for South-South cooperation.

So that cooperation may enhance these projects, and getting some of the ideas and experience what we have learnt here.

If you can introduce those in Bangladesh, and then that will help us a lot.

And interestingly, our honorable Prime Minister now give us a vision that we should have a smart Bangladesh, meaning smart people, smart government, smart society and so on.

If we need to really go with the smart Bangladesh, then we need to follow some of the things which the PRC has already established and developed there.

In particular, we do paperless ideas.

What I saw that just when I go to shop, you don’t need to carry cash, right?

So it can use the mobile phone.

If you can introduce this smart thing, that will help us a lot in various ways, and develop our societies in manner.

Episode 1. Insights into the PRC’s Approaches to River Management

Md. Mostafa Kamal, the Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Shipping in Bangladesh, highlights the unique approaches adopted by the PRC in managing its major rivers, such as having separate laws and authorities for each river, and how these learnings can benefit Bangladesh.

Transcript:

Lot of things we have learnt what we can share and we can actually capitalize this knowledge.

One unique thing is, the PRC is promulgating laws for separate rivers.

Yangtze River have its own law.

Yellow River have its own law.

There are separate authority for every river.

This is very unique.

The Commission for separate rivers is so powerful and have been given the authority.

Yesterday the commissioner told that even not a drop of water can be withdrawn without the permission of the Commission.

Another thing is that regarding the big constructions like big bridges, and flood free lands beside the rivers, the PRC constructed the bridges around 200% or more than the size of the width of the river.

Because the flood plain land is free, when flood comes, it does not hit the bridge, and they did not compromise with the nature.

They keep the nature as it is.

All these are learnings for us.

And the government has the commitment as well.

The development partners like ADB, they are very good partners.

They don’t only finance, they also come with the solutions.

And this is the thing of what I feel the uniqueness.

Thank you very much.

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