Shahnaj Begum | Daily Observer

HEADLINE

● Fire breaks out in six-storey building in Dhaka ● Dream shattered as BD crash out of SAFF Championship ● PM to attend SAFF final if BD qualify: Aminul ● 17 killed in Turkey steel plant blast, workers demand justice ● Make Polluters Pay: Close the climate finance gap now ● PM pushes for faster, more effective drive to clean up Dhaka ● BGB to strengthen security along the Kalmakanda border

Shahnaj Begum

Our private sector introduced to smart waste tracking systems

Shahnaj Begum

In a significant move to strengthen collaboration for sustainable urban services, SNV and the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Wing of the Invest Bangladesh Authority signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 29 August 2026. This partnership aims to mainstream Small-Scale PPPs

Gas cut to power plants to worsen loadshedding

Shahnaj Begum

The government has decided to reduce the allocation of gas to power plants in order to increase gas supply to the industrial sector. Previously, power plants were supplied approximately 950 million cubic feet of gas per day, but the plan

When will it start supplying electricity?

Shahnaj Begum

Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP), is facing another setback as a critical safety valve has reportedly failed to meet required quality standards, raising fresh doubts over when the plant will begin supplying electricity to the national grid.This new setback has

BERC proposes Tk6.48 tariff for solar plants

Shahnaj Begum

The Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC)’s Technical Evaluation Committee has recommended a generation tariff of Tk6.48 per unit for electricity produced by privately owned solar merchant power plants, along with an average distribution charge of Tk1.17 per unit.The energy regulator

Rooftop Solar Dream Fades

Shahnaj Begum

A large share of household rooftop solar-power systems installed across Bangladesh are no longer functioning, raising serious questions about the sustainability of the country’s efforts to expand renewable energy and reduce dependence on fossil fuels.A recent study found that 47

Record fuel bill deepens energy strain

Shahnaj Begum

Bangladesh’s fuel import bill more than doubled to a record $10.63 billion in the 2025-26 fiscal year, deepening pressure on the country’s energy security as declining domestic gas production forces greater reliance on costly LNG imports.According to Bangladesh Bank data,

BANGLADESH'S VANISHING LUNGS

Shahnaj Begum

Bangladesh is losing its forests at a pace that should trigger a national emergency. Instead, what is increasingly visible is institutional indifference, fragmented responsibility and weak enforcement-precisely when the country can least afford to lose its remaining green cover.The warning

A 'self-destructive' strategy

Shahnaj Begum

The nation’s heavy reliance on imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) to bridge the domestic supply gap has been characterized as a self-destructive strategy by energy experts and economists, who point to a decade of neglect in local exploration that has

India ready to hand over Hadi killers, others sans Hasina

Shahnaj Begum

India is ready to hand over the killers of martyr Osman Hadi and other criminals, excluding the former prime minister and president of Awami League Sheikh Hasina. Additionally, New Delhi is also ready to give an assurance that it will

A Public Health Catastrophe

Shahnaj Begum

For millions of Bangladeshis, the greatest threat to health may be something they cannot see. Microscopic particles suspended in the air are entering homes, schools, workplaces and lungs, quietly shortening lives and imposing a huge burden on the country’s health