We must keep the focus on the plight of char people alive and draw attention of the current interim government to address the problem with new approaches, policies, and institutions.
The Rohingya crisis continues to mystify everyone with its uncertainties.
There are plentiful cases of land-grabbing and violence for control over new char or khas land in the country.
International support for the Rohingya people is diminishing by the day.
Displacement due to river erosion is an entirely different story.
China's latest move to advance repatriation still falls short of addressing the Rohingya citizenship issue which is central to the crisis.
It is neither possible nor desirable to eliminate flooding completely, for floods are intricately linked to the very survival of people in this delta country.
The improved transport network has now reduced the hauling time of vehicles and enhanced economic activity, boosting the national GDP, according to one estimate, to roughly one percent annually.
My recent op-ed in The Daily Star (December 11 2017) was on the Rohingya repatriation and resettlement issue.
In the past weeks, three important developments related to the Rohingya issue took place. First was the agreement between the governments of Bangladesh and Myanmar on the refugee repatriation.
Endless streams of Rohingyas have crossed the Naf River into Bangladesh. The deaths of children at sea stand out most vividly. Rohingyas have left behind everything they had once known in the face of the Myanmar military's brutalities against their own people.
It is no wonder that Dhaka was ranked 137th with an overall rating of 38.7. The top scoring cities in the global ranking share a few important commonalities that are worth noting: (i) they are generally mid-sized; (ii) located in wealthier countries, and (iii) have a relatively low population density.
I am intrigued by the recent remarks made by Zhu Ruo, a leading urban planning expert in China, suggesting that Dhaka follow Shanghai's example in regards to urban transformation and growth.
