A program was held in Cox’s Bazar demanding official recognition of November 12 as “Coastal Day” and commemorating the victims of the devastating cyclone that struck the coastal regions in 1970.
The discussion program, organized by the Coastal Foundation, took place on Wednesday morning at the auditorium of Cox’s Bazar DC College.
The event was presided over by Md. Ibrahim Hossain, Principal of Cox’s Bazar DC College, while Momtaz Uddin Bahari, General Secretary of the Cox’s Bazar Press Club, attended as the chief guest. Senior journalists Sarowar Azam Manik and Morshedur Rahman Khokon were present as special guests.
The session was moderated by Mohammad Fahim, Coordinator of the Coastal Foundation. Speakers at the discussion highlighted that the survival of nearly ten million people living across the 19 coastal districts of Bangladesh is increasingly threatened by climate change and recurring natural disasters. Despite this, the livelihoods and well-being of coastal communities have long remained neglected in national planning.
Organizers said that the Coastal Foundation has been working to ensure the rights, safety, and resilience of coastal people who are most vulnerable to climate impacts. They recalled that on November 12, 1970, a catastrophic cyclone — one of the deadliest in recorded history — claimed more than one million lives in the coastal belt of southern Bangladesh.
The speakers and organizers urged the government to officially declare November 12 as “National Coastal Day” to honor the memory of the victims and to emphasize the importance of protecting coastal communities and livelihoods from the adverse effects of climate change.
