A colourful procession was brought out in the capital yesterday for creating awareness among the people to keep the Gulshan Lake pollution-free and preserve its beauty.
Environment and Forest Secretary M Shafiqur Rahman Patwari led the procession that started from Banani Chairman Bari playground and ended through a rally at the western end of Gulshan’s Road 34.
At the rally, the secretary stressed the need for participation of the civil society in activities aimed at saving the capital’s environment side by side with the government initiatives.
The capital’s Gulshan-Baridhara Lake was officially declared an Ecologically Critical Area (ECA) in 2001 to save the water body from becoming further polluted and protect it from encroachment.
Speakers at the rally sought to reclaim the lake from illegal occupation and preserve the water retention capacity of the lake as well as its beautification.
Former election commissioner M Sohul Hossain, former secretary Mohammad Ali, former NBR member Mahmubur Rahman and Dhaka University Teachers Association (DUTA) President Prof Farid Uddin, leaders of different socio-cultural organisations among others took part in the event.