Sharing the idea of ​​greater power connectivity in the region, Chief Advisor Prof Muhammad Yunus on Wednesday called for the creation of a South Asian grid to share hydropower produced by Nepal and Bhutan .

“Bangladesh can easily import hydropower from Nepal since it is just 65 km from Bangladesh. Nepalese hydropower will also be cheap,” Prof Yunus said, adding that Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Bhutan should consider creating a South Asian network.

In a meeting with the Social Business Group on the sidelines of the climate conference in Baku, he said that much of the Himalayan countries’ hydropower potential remains untapped due to the lack of power grids connecting Bangladesh, the India, Nepal and Bhutan.

Nepalese authorities have said the country has the potential to produce 40,000 megawatts of hydropower, which could help reduce dependence on fossil fuels in larger countries like India and Bangladesh.

The senior advisor, who participated in the COP29 climate conference in the Azerbaijani capital, said Bangladesh gives highest priority to water management to prevent floods and make the best use of water. water to stimulate the country’s economic growth.

“Water is our main environmental problem. We must manage water in a way that supports nature,” said Professor Yunus.

He told the meeting on social enterprises that the caretaker government had also focused on youth development and reform of the country’s education system.

Prof Yunus said the government would organize a youth festival in January when the country’s cricket board would hold its annual T20 BPL cricket tournament.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino and IOC President Thomas Bach are expected to join the festival. A women’s football tournament is also planned.

“We are trying to organize the festival in all parts of the country,” Professor Yunus said.

Professor Yunus also spoke about the reform initiatives of the caretaker government and the July-August mass uprising, which ended 15 years of the brutal dictatorship of Sheikh Hasina. He also discussed the key issues at COP29 and the ongoing negotiations in Bangladesh on carbon credits.