Bangladesh and Maldives have deferred the sand deal they were planning to ink in 2011.

What was to be signed in the deal?

• Both the nations had planned to ship sand to Maldives which is facing serious threat of being deluged if the sea level rises by even 1 metre.
• Bangladesh was ready to provide them sand from their rivers. The sand was to be used in raising the level of land in Maldives in defense against rising sea level.
• In 2008, Maldives had announced that it will set up a sovereign wealth fund with tourism revenue to relocate people if sea level rises.
• The island nation even had plans to buy land in India, Australia and Sri Lanka to tackle the problem.