Rural-based programmes can help better prevent environmental disasters
Thursday, 6 September 2007
Yasmin Rimi
MYMENSINGH is 125 kilometres away from capital Dhaka. Another 30 kms deep into the district, there is a village named Dakatia. Once a barren village, Dakatia now looks different. It's now a wonderful village with lush green trees.
The credit for the rapid change goes to the students of Dakatia Girls' High School. An afforestation programme launched by the students has motivated the villagers to join their efforts to protect the environment.
The students started their campaign planting trees around their own school. Now it has got trees like margosa (Nim), jackfruit and different medicinal plants.
"When I was a student of class six, the school was in a bad shape," recalls Rita, now a class ten student. "We've got a large field, but it was barren. We, the students, have planted trees all around and we ourselves take care of the trees. We know it very well that a tree help people in many ways."
Not only the schoolgirls, but also the farmers of the village have very good knowledge about environment and agriculture. "Once we had to spend a lot on farming as we had to buy fertilisers and other agri-inputs. But now it costs us much less because we know how to make organic fertilisers and how to apply it. We also know the necessity of organic fertilisers and the problems of chemical ones," says farmer Jamir Miah.
Asked where did they get the know-how, he says, "People from towns used to come here and tell us to plant trees. They've taught us how to make organic fertilisers and how to cultivate with that."
Nature Alliance, a local non-government organisation (NGO), has long been working for the development of the village. Mohiuddin Babar, the executive director of this NGO, says, "Any development work should begin from villages. As people's real problems can be realised at the grassroots level, we've begun our current work on social afforestation from there. The country's overall development could be done by working for the rural people."
"We've started our work choosing two-three regions and have been trying for long five years to make rural people and schools understand as to how their livelihood is related to environment. We've been emphasising the need for plantation to improve the environment and change the lifestyle of the rural people."
Like Nature Alliance, many more organisations have been working for protecting the environment from degradation. Bangladesh Environment Journalists Forum, Bangladesh Environment Lawyers' Association, Society for Environment and Human Development, Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon, Citizens' Initiatives and Work for Better Environment etc., are among them.
"Whenever we see any anti-environment activity we instantly wage a movement against it. We hold meetings and rallies, send press releases to media and lastly we raise the issue before the government," says Zahidur Rahman, an executive member of Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon (BAPA) that has long been campaigning against environmental pollution.
He says: "Other organisations need to join us to save the environment. Our environment is now at stake and forest recourses are dwindling fast due to human greed, ignorance and fast growing population.
We're facing more natural calamities than ever before. The rural population has to be made aware as there are 68,000 villages in Bangladesh."
According to available statistics, there are forests on 5,000 square miles of Bangladesh that is only 7.0 per cent of the total land of the country. Experts say having forests only on 15 per cent of the country's total land is not adequate. It should be 25 per cent.
And the forests, according to them, should be spread across the country in a balanced manner but Bangladesh is far away from this ideal situation.
About 2.8 million (28 lakh) acres of forestland, more than half of the total, are situated in the greater Chittagong Hill Tracts while more than one fourth of the total forestland or about 1.5 million (15 lakh) acres is in Khulna district.
It is clear that Bangladesh's natural equilibrium is on the ruin for lack of trees. There is an apprehension Tsunami can strike Bangladesh any time although the country luckily escaped the wrath of Tsunami that hit Indonesia, Sri Lanka and African countries.
Besides, the number of multistoried buildings with central air-conditioning system and AC cars are on the rise and the hot air coming out of them are polluting the environment.
Economist Prof Mozaffer Ahmed, also an environmentalist, says, "If the slogan of 'plantation for environment' can be implemented then certainly the 25 per cent forestation, an aspiration of the country's 140 million people, would be successful. If people can feel that trees are not only precious for the environment, but also helpful for their income generation then they will surely plant more and more saplings."
The Poverty Reduction Strategic Papers (PRSP) was repeatedly mentioned in the country's budget, but there is no mention in the strategic paper that plantation can make an enormous contribution towards poverty alleviation as many people have already changed their lots by planting trees.
Shefaet Hossain, public relations officer of the Ministry of Forest and Environment, says the government has undertaken extensive programmes on plantation and it is working as a liaison with those organisations working on the environment to check natural disasters.
To make the plantation programmes a success, Mohiuddin Babar of the Nature Alliance says, "The rural people are indiscriminately logging trees to meet their small needs.
There should be a campaign to reverse the situation. Rural people take things seriously when urban dwellers explain to them that the plantation is very essential. Therefore, urban people will have to work at the grassroots level."
"However, plantation is not the end of the story. It's imperative to take care of the plants so that they can grow," says another expert.
MYMENSINGH is 125 kilometres away from capital Dhaka. Another 30 kms deep into the district, there is a village named Dakatia. Once a barren village, Dakatia now looks different. It's now a wonderful village with lush green trees.
The credit for the rapid change goes to the students of Dakatia Girls' High School. An afforestation programme launched by the students has motivated the villagers to join their efforts to protect the environment.
The students started their campaign planting trees around their own school. Now it has got trees like margosa (Nim), jackfruit and different medicinal plants.
"When I was a student of class six, the school was in a bad shape," recalls Rita, now a class ten student. "We've got a large field, but it was barren. We, the students, have planted trees all around and we ourselves take care of the trees. We know it very well that a tree help people in many ways."
Not only the schoolgirls, but also the farmers of the village have very good knowledge about environment and agriculture. "Once we had to spend a lot on farming as we had to buy fertilisers and other agri-inputs. But now it costs us much less because we know how to make organic fertilisers and how to apply it. We also know the necessity of organic fertilisers and the problems of chemical ones," says farmer Jamir Miah.
Asked where did they get the know-how, he says, "People from towns used to come here and tell us to plant trees. They've taught us how to make organic fertilisers and how to cultivate with that."
Nature Alliance, a local non-government organisation (NGO), has long been working for the development of the village. Mohiuddin Babar, the executive director of this NGO, says, "Any development work should begin from villages. As people's real problems can be realised at the grassroots level, we've begun our current work on social afforestation from there. The country's overall development could be done by working for the rural people."
"We've started our work choosing two-three regions and have been trying for long five years to make rural people and schools understand as to how their livelihood is related to environment. We've been emphasising the need for plantation to improve the environment and change the lifestyle of the rural people."
Like Nature Alliance, many more organisations have been working for protecting the environment from degradation. Bangladesh Environment Journalists Forum, Bangladesh Environment Lawyers' Association, Society for Environment and Human Development, Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon, Citizens' Initiatives and Work for Better Environment etc., are among them.
"Whenever we see any anti-environment activity we instantly wage a movement against it. We hold meetings and rallies, send press releases to media and lastly we raise the issue before the government," says Zahidur Rahman, an executive member of Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon (BAPA) that has long been campaigning against environmental pollution.
He says: "Other organisations need to join us to save the environment. Our environment is now at stake and forest recourses are dwindling fast due to human greed, ignorance and fast growing population.
We're facing more natural calamities than ever before. The rural population has to be made aware as there are 68,000 villages in Bangladesh."
According to available statistics, there are forests on 5,000 square miles of Bangladesh that is only 7.0 per cent of the total land of the country. Experts say having forests only on 15 per cent of the country's total land is not adequate. It should be 25 per cent.
And the forests, according to them, should be spread across the country in a balanced manner but Bangladesh is far away from this ideal situation.
About 2.8 million (28 lakh) acres of forestland, more than half of the total, are situated in the greater Chittagong Hill Tracts while more than one fourth of the total forestland or about 1.5 million (15 lakh) acres is in Khulna district.
It is clear that Bangladesh's natural equilibrium is on the ruin for lack of trees. There is an apprehension Tsunami can strike Bangladesh any time although the country luckily escaped the wrath of Tsunami that hit Indonesia, Sri Lanka and African countries.
Besides, the number of multistoried buildings with central air-conditioning system and AC cars are on the rise and the hot air coming out of them are polluting the environment.
Economist Prof Mozaffer Ahmed, also an environmentalist, says, "If the slogan of 'plantation for environment' can be implemented then certainly the 25 per cent forestation, an aspiration of the country's 140 million people, would be successful. If people can feel that trees are not only precious for the environment, but also helpful for their income generation then they will surely plant more and more saplings."
The Poverty Reduction Strategic Papers (PRSP) was repeatedly mentioned in the country's budget, but there is no mention in the strategic paper that plantation can make an enormous contribution towards poverty alleviation as many people have already changed their lots by planting trees.
Shefaet Hossain, public relations officer of the Ministry of Forest and Environment, says the government has undertaken extensive programmes on plantation and it is working as a liaison with those organisations working on the environment to check natural disasters.
To make the plantation programmes a success, Mohiuddin Babar of the Nature Alliance says, "The rural people are indiscriminately logging trees to meet their small needs.
There should be a campaign to reverse the situation. Rural people take things seriously when urban dwellers explain to them that the plantation is very essential. Therefore, urban people will have to work at the grassroots level."
"However, plantation is not the end of the story. It's imperative to take care of the plants so that they can grow," says another expert.