Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) mayor Atiqul Islam has said Dhaka's temperature is rising day by day, and because there are too few trees, it feels far hotter than the actual temperature. To save Dhaka, plenty of trees must be planted, he said.
"Trees are an essential part of a city's environment. Yet the number of trees in Dhaka is very low compared with what is needed. Even the few trees the city has are being cut down to put up buildings," he said.
He was speaking as chief guest at the launch of a tree-planting programme in Mohammadpur in the capital on Wednesday (31 August) morning, organised by DNCC with support from The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) and Shakti Foundation. DNCC organised the programme to mark National Mourning Day.
Canal recovered
Atiqul Islam said the Ramchandrapur-Lautala canal at Bosila had long been illegally occupied. A truck stand had been built illegally over the Lautala canal, where about 1,300 trucks were kept, and a market had also been built illegally. "By evicting the illegal truck stand and market, we have been able to recover the Lautala-Ramchandrapur canal. Water now flows in the canal and boats are running," he said.
Calling on city residents to help protect the environment, the mayor said: "We have a responsibility to today's small children. We must ensure a liveable city for them and create a healthy environment for future generations. By planting trees along the Lautala canal, we will create a beautiful environment here. We will build a walkway here."
Mayor Md Atiqul Islam also said a playground would soon be built on land recovered next to the Lautala canal.
After the launch, the DNCC mayor planted saplings together with councillors. With support from HSBC and Shakti Foundation, DNCC will plant and maintain 2,000 trees along the Lautala canal.
Among others present were HSBC Bangladesh chief executive officer Mahbub ur Rahman, Shakti Foundation deputy executive director Imran Ahmed and Zone-5 regional executive officer Motakabbir Ahmed.
Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.
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