Bapa urges sufficient budgetary incentives for rooftop solar panel installation in urban areas

Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (Bapa) has presented 17 policy recommendations in the budget for environment, forest, and climate sectors, including proposal for adequate budgetary incentives to green energy producers for installing rooftop solar panels in urban areas.

Dr Atiur Rahman, the Former Governor of Bangladesh Bank and the Vice-President of Bapa presented this proposal at a discussion meeting organised by Bapa at Dhaka Reporters Unity on Thursday.

He stated that implementing the "Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan" requires additional funding from the global climate action fund and other international sources. 

He added that Bangladesh's adaptation plan requires a $230 billion investment over 27 years. He also acknowledged the necessity for further funding if the temperature increase surpasses two degrees Celsius.

Bapa's 17 recommendations focus on fostering coordination among the central government, local governments, and civic organisations for environmental protection. They propose offering technical assistance and financial incentives, like subsidies, to encourage investment in solar irrigation pumps. Discouraging harmful industries while promoting eco-friendly ones is also suggested. 

Additionally, the recommendations include progressive taxation on properties to support inclusivity in housing policies, higher taxation on plastics to discourage their use, and the implementation of a ward-wise Air Quality Index (AQI) for daily pollution awareness.

Atiur Rahman argued that despite having the capacity to generate 25,000 megawatts of electricity, limited access to primary materials like gas and oil restricts production to around 14,000 megawatts. In his opinion, this underscores the importance of increasing renewable energy production — which currently amounts to only 2% of the total energy mix.

Architect Iqbal Habib, the Joint Secretary of Bapa, called for an end to environmentally destructive practices and urged the government to prioritise the "Amar gram, aram shohor" concept.

Firoz Ahmed, Bapa's Vice-President, emphasised the need for transparency in climate funds and expressed concern over development projects funded by loans, as they may burden future generations with debt.

In this connection, Bapa President Professor Noor Mohammad Talukder expressed frustration over the prolonged delay in establishing the biogas project, attributing it to obstruction from investors in the energy sector