Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Md. Shahab Uddin said that under the visionary and strong leadership of Honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the government is taking and implementing multifaceted effective measures to deal with climate change risks in the Sundarban coastal region.  To protect people's lives during cyclone and water surge, the government is creating a green belt through massive afforestation along the coast.  So far 2 thousand 277 square kilometers of char afforestation has been done in the coastal area.

The environment minister said these things in the speech of the chief guest at the national dialogue organized to deal with the harmful effects of climate change in the Sundarban coastal region on Wednesday at the Parliament Members Club auditorium of the Jatiya Sangsad.

The Environment Minister said that under Sundarban protection, 52 percent of its area has been declared as a protected area and all types of forest resource extraction has been banned from it. Various activities including declaration of sanctuaries has been taken to protect various wildlife including tigers, deer, dolphins, crocodiles. In addition, projects or programs related to capacity building of local communities, poverty alleviation and human resource development have been undertaken.  4 new ponds and 84 ponds have been re-excavated for food water for various foresters, forest workers and wildlife inside the Sundarbans.  The Forest Minister said, only if the government as well as all concerned work together, we will be able to reduce the risk of climate change in the Sundarbans coastal area.

Habibun Nahar, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, spoke as a special guest at the dialogue held under the chairmanship of Sundarbans and Coast Protection Movement President Nikhil Chandra Bhadra.  Mir Mostak Ahmed Rabi, Member of Parliament for Satkhira-2 Constituency, Syeda Rubina Akter and Gloria Jharna Member of Parliament for Reserved Women Constituency and Sharif Jamil, General Secretary of Bangladesh Environment Movement, spoke as panel discussants.  The keynote was presented by Mohan Kumar Mondal, Executive Director of Leaders. Representatives of the southwest coastal area, non-governmental development organizations, donor organizations, researchers, civil society and representatives of the mass media spoke in the dialogue.