400 students receive fruit and medicinal tree saplings in Patharghata

Students were encouraged to care for fruit and medicinal trees at home, with organisers highlighting their role in climate resilience, biodiversity and environmental awareness.

Four hundred students at Kalmegha Muslim Secondary School in Patharghata, a sub-district of Bangladesh’s Barguna district, have received fruit and medicinal tree saplings as part of an environmental awareness and tree-planting programme.

The saplings were distributed at 11:00 am on Tuesday (September 6) on the school premises under the slogan “Let us plant trees, let us build a green Bangladesh.”

The programme was organised by Dhoritri Rokkhay Amra (Dhara), Waterkeepers Bangladesh and the Patharghata Coastal Protection Movement, and implemented by the Kalmegha Muslim Secondary School Planetters Club.

The event was conducted by Shafiqul Islam Khokon, Patharghata upazila coordinator of Dhara. Jahangir Hossain, head teacher of Kalmegha Muslim Secondary School, chaired the programme.

Imam Hossain Babul, former chairman of the Patharghata Bangladesh Rural Development Board (BRDB) and president of Kalmegha Muslim Secondary School, was the chief guest.

Special guests included environmental activist Mushfik Arif, member secretary of Dhara’s Barguna district unit, social worker Mehedi Shikder and Abdul Malek, along with members of the Planetters Club.

During the programme, students received saplings of various fruit-bearing and medicinal tree species. They were encouraged to plant and care for the trees at their homes and in the surrounding environment.

The organisers said tree planting was essential to addressing the impacts of climate change, maintaining environmental balance and ensuring a green and habitable environment for future generations. They said the initiative was intended to raise environmental awareness among students from an early age and involve them in tree planting.

They also said a tree not only makes the environment greener but also plays an important role in protecting human life and biodiversity. One of the main aims of the programme, they said, was to spread the message of tree planting to every family through the students.

Teachers and students of the school, representatives of the organising groups and local environmental activists attended the programme.