Three organisations active in environmental conservation have planted more than 200 palm tree saplings on the bank of the Balu river on the eastern edge of the capital, to curb lightning, landslides and land erosion and to protect the groundwater level and soil fertility. The organisers also pledged to spread the programme across the country.

On 29 August, at the start of the programme, Sumon Shams, chairman of the river and nature protection organisation Nongor Trust, introduced students to palm seeds at a discussion titled "Our duties in conserving rivers, life and nature". It was held on the grounds of Balupara Primary School at Kayetpara, on the bank of the Balu river in Khilgaon in the capital.

Shams said that because palm and other trees have been cut down in an unplanned way, deaths from lightning have risen recently in various parts of the country. Birds are losing their habitats. "The birds are not happy, so we are not happy either. There is no alternative to planting trees to protect ourselves from natural disasters," he said.

Advocate Shafiqur Rahman, chairman of Initiative for Peace, urged every citizen to plant at least one palm sapling to escape the ravages of environmental disaster. Ibnul Sayeed Rana, chairman of Nirapad Development Foundation, said tree felling must stop and forest, fruit and medicinal trees must be planted.

Nongor Trust members Nazir Ahmed Simab and Fazle Sani, and Kayetpara Bazar Owners' Association members Rafiqul Islam Hiru, Khalilur Rahman and Shahidul Islam Khan, among others, called for tree planting to build a green world for the next generation. Young pupils also planted palm saplings along the school boundary that day.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.