Khulna Bureau
State Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Sheikh Faridul Islam has called for involving children in decision-making to combat climate change and protect the environment, urging them to lead the anti-polythene movement from their school days.
He made the remarks at the closing ceremony of the 6th Annual Coastal Children's Climate Conference at the CSS Ava Center in Khulna city on Wednesday afternoon (September 23). Jagrata Juba Sangha (JJS) and the Coastal Children's Forum jointly organised the two-day conference.
Sheikh Faridul Islam said the country has become heavily polluted and the trend must be curbed immediately. He urged people to use cloth or jute bags instead of polythene and called for banning plastic bottles from the Sundarbans.
He said every school should be made plastic- and polythene-free and eco-friendly practices should be developed in families and society.
Addressing the drinking water crisis in coastal areas, he said pond water, once commonly used by villagers, is now increasingly risky due to pollution and pathogens. Ponds should therefore be preserved as safe water sources and rainwater harvesting expanded.
Regarding brick kilns, he said there are approximately 7,500 in the country, of which about 1,700 are legal and the rest illegal. A review is underway to determine which can be legalised, brought into compliance or shut down. He said brick kilns pollute the air and destroy fertile topsoil, stressing the need to gradually reduce burnt bricks and increase the use of eco-friendly blocks.
He highlighted solar and wind energy, biogas, modern waste management, tree plantation and canal re-excavation as measures to address environmental degradation and climate change. He also announced an initiative to plant 250 million trees over the next five years.
At the concluding session, coastal children demanded protection from climate change impacts, participation in decision-making and sustainability in climate actions. Naushin Islam, Mun Mondal, Disha Majumdar, Monira Sultana Rupa and Ayesha Akter Meghla spoke on behalf of the children.
The conference announced that Naushin Islam and Noor Ahmad Zidan of the Khulna Child Forum are scheduled to participate in the COP-31 conference in Turkey next November.
Khulna's Additional Divisional Commissioner (Revenue) Sifat Mehnaz, PIB Director General Faruk Wasif and Deputy Commissioner Hure Jannat, among representatives of various government departments, universities and development organisations, addressed the event.#SAS
