DSCC seeks greener, healthier city
Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Administrator Abdus Salam has pledged to turn areas under the city corporation into greener spaces through daily tree plantation programmes aimed at restoring environmental balance and making the capital more liveable.
He made the remarks on Monday while addressing a tree plantation and sapling distribution programme at Motijheel Government Boys’ High School.
The DSCC administrator said plantation activities would be carried out every day in different parts of the city to reduce air pollution and help restore the natural environment.
The DSCC organised the programme in collaboration with Environment Development Organisation-Bangladesh as part of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s priority initiatives for environmental conservation and combating climate change.
“Dhaka city no longer has the greenery it once had. Today, Dhaka ranks among the cities with the highest levels of air pollution in the world, which is not desirable for any of us,” Salam said.
“If we fail to maintain a clean and healthy environment, various diseases will emerge. There is no alternative to planting more trees to protect nature and reduce carbon dioxide emissions,” he added.
Salam, a former student of Motijheel Government Boys’ High School, recalled the greenery he saw around the institution during his childhood.
“When I studied at this school, I saw beautiful gardens all around, but they are no longer there,” he said.
Drawing a parallel with the Sundarbans, which he said protects Bangladesh as a natural shield during storms and cyclones, Salam stressed the importance of trees to human survival.
“Just as the Sundarbans protects Bangladesh as a natural shield during storms and cyclones, trees also keep us alive by providing oxygen,” he said.
Salam called on students to play an active role in protecting the environment, saying the country’s future leadership would emerge from among them.
“The future leadership of the country will emerge from among you. You must prepare yourselves accordingly. I urge every student to plant at least one tree at home, on the rooftop or in a tub,” he said.
The programme featured the distribution of fruit-bearing, timber and medicinal saplings among students and guardians.
Dhaka-7 MP Hamidur Rahman Hamid and acting headteacher of Motijheel Government Boys’ High School Tahmina Yasmin attended the programme as special guests.
Prof Syeda Fatema Salam, president of Environment Development Organisation-Bangladesh, chaired the event.
At the end of the programme, the guests planted saplings on the school premises and distributed different species of saplings among students and guardians.
