There is no doubt that Bangladesh’s current state of development begets further urbanization, especially as vast swathes of our country is still quite agrarian in nature. However, what we absolutely do not need is for our urban centres, especially our capital city, to be cleared of trees any more than they already are -- indeed there is a case to be made for more trees to be planted in our cities instead.
While the interim government has yet to tackle some of the most pressing issues facing the citizens of Dhaka, the policies it has recently been adopting when it comes to improving the city’s environmental integrity must be lauded, with the most recent being the announcement of a new law which seeks to protect trees.
The past few years have seen something of a war being waged on trees with the phenomenon coming to a decidedly concerning head last year when the Dhaka South City Corporation decided to clear an entire strip in Dhanmondi of its trees in an ill-conceived effort to “beautify” the area. Furthermore, outside the capital, nearly 5,000 trees in a five-acre forest area in Chittagong’s Tulatoli were felled in order to make way for a ship-breaking yard last year.
For a country that prides itself for its natural beauty, the unplanned and uncalled-for felling of trees in such high numbers makes no sense whatsoever.
Trees play a vital role in regulating the quality of the air which, as we are all experiencing currently, has degraded to the point where it poses an active threat to human health. Trees and greenery also help regulate the temperature during the warmer seasons, while in densely populated cities they also help keep the urban heat island phenomenon in check.
We have always been in need of more trees, not less, and it is good to see a government finally realize that.
