A programme to distribute 5,000 palmyra palm seeds and saplings of various species has begun in the char areas of Faridpur, aimed at countering climate change, protecting the environment and reducing the risk of natural hazards such as lightning strikes.

District council administrator Md Afzal Hossain Khan Palash formally opened the month-long programme on the morning of Friday, 11 September, on the grounds of Madhya Char Tepakhola Government Primary School in Dikrirchar union of Sadar upazila. The event was chaired by Moniruzzaman Monir, general secretary of the Faridpur Environment Development Forum, with the district council's head assistant Dipan Kumar Ghosh as special guest.

Speaking as chief guest, Afzal Hossain Khan Palash said there is a national commitment to plant 250 million trees across the country in the next five years to meet the challenge of climate change. As part of that, 5,000 palmyra seeds and fruit saplings are being distributed in a first phase across ten char unions in three upazilas of Faridpur.

Countless people die in lightning strikes every year, he said, a large share of them on the flat, open chars. Palmyra palms act as natural lightning arresters, so the programme puts particular weight on planting them to reduce the risk on the chars and build a green belt. He also urged residents not to stop at planting but to care for the trees properly.

After the discussion, palmyra seeds and fruit saplings were handed to local residents, and the administrator planted a sapling on the school grounds. The programme is planned and funded by the Faridpur district council and implemented with the direct support of the Faridpur Environment Development Forum.

Farmers working in open char fields and people grazing cattle and goats there face the greatest lightning risk; a line of palmyra palms standing in those fields for decades is a cheap protection, and the fruit saplings add nutrition and income for char families.

Source: banglanews24