South Asia

Building freeze: Bangladesh has banned construction activities on St Martin’s island to save the ecology of its lone coral island. The environment ministry has ordered an inventory of all existing buildings; those threatening the island’s ecology will be demolished. The island receives about 1¤500 tourists daily. This has led to construction of hotels and restaurants and a jetty which threaten the island’s biodiversity.

Nepal ban hits India: Nepal has banned export of boulders¤ crushed stones and sand to India. Over exploitation of these natural resources from the Siwalik range has resulted in deforestation¤ frequent flash floods and landslides. Nearly 800¤000 tonnes of boulders¤ crushed stones and sand are exported to India daily. The decision will hit hard India’s construction industry and hundreds of crushers located across the Terai region of Nepal.