A daylong awareness meeting of the department of forestry under the ministry of environment, forestry and climate change was held at the Kaliganj Upazila Parishad auditorium of Jhenaidah district on Thursday morning. The meeting was aimed at to preserve the ecologically critical largest waterbody Marjad Baor in Kaliganj Upazila of Jhenaidah.
Presided over by Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Israt Zahan, Khulna divisional director of the department of environment Iqbal Hossain attended as chief guest. Upazila Parishad chairman Jahangir Siddiquee Thandu, senior upazila fisheries officer (SUFO) Hasan Sazzad, assistant director of the department of environment in Jhenaidah Sreerup Majumder, Upazila Agriculture Officer (UAO) Mahbub Alam Roni, Sonarbangla Foundation chief executive officer Shibu Pada Biswas, media activist Shahjahan Ali Bipash, Mominur Rahman Mantu and Ishahaque Ali among others spoke in the discussion.
The speakers said the Marjad Baor was declared as environmentally critical area in 1998 which needs intensive care and be preserved at any cost.
They said the water based and relevant water species like birds, tortoise, snails etc. are on the verge of extinction due to negligence of the common people as well as lack of proper maintenance of the government authority. It has been throwing the situation worse day by day. They should be protected for the greater interest of the countrymen as well as the globe at any cost. A number of fishermen community leaders; local elite and environmental activists remain present there.
