As Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dipu Moni prepares to fly down to India early next month, the Tipaimukh Hydroelectric Dam Project has become a bone of contention between the two countries, threatening to sour bilateral ties.

Dense population, high industrial growth, increasing pollutant loads and a lack of wastewater infrastructure in Dhaka have jointly created a serious threat to the city's sustainability. The industrial wastes caused severe degradation of the watersheds.

Around 250,000 buildings in Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet cities have been bracketed by a recent survey as being vulnerable to earthquake.

"The survey results were absolutely shocking," says ASM Maqsud Kamal, national adviser to Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme for tsunami, cyclone and earthquake.

About 70 percent of polythene bags are till out of recycling process, which creates drainage congestion and waterlogging in urban life, especially in Dhaka City.

Department of Environment (DoE) sources said poor solid waste management in city life, bad habit of the citizens of throwing poly bags anywhere they like and lack of adequate recycling system are mainly responsible for this menace.

Despite being one of the most disaster-prone countries, Bangladesh's preparation for earthquake management is "almost zero", a top government official said on Wednesday while announcing a Tk 350 crore preparedness project.

Ten million residents of Dhaka city are exposed to environmental hazards and this situation is worsening day by day. In a city already overloaded with population, more people from all over the country are coming with desperate bid to settle. The influx of population has resulted in not only high density, but also growth of slums at a more alarming rate.

Communications Minister Syed Abul Hossain said on Saturday old and junk vehicles plying in the city for more than 20 years would be removed from the roads.

The WASA drainage system covers only 37 percent area in Dhaka City leaving the most of the metropolis vulnerable to severe waterlogging particularly during the monsoon.

Thick black smoke, emitted by nearly 1.5 lakh old and rickety vehicles, is posing a serious environmental threat to the city dwellers.

Sunamgonj in Bangladesh, a few kilometres from the border with India, looks stirred up. On June 21, the town citizenry gathered at the public library to listen to five speakers from India's northeastern state Manipur and a social activist from Dhaka. The meeting continued till well past 11 pm.