Bike for Buriganga

With the aim to raise awareness over Buriganga river's conservation, Waterkeepers Bangladesh Consortium and Buriganga River Coalition jointly organised a variety of events yesterday, including cycle rally, dinghy boat race, and a drawing competition for children.

The day began with the cycle rally, which started from Manik Mia Avenue and ended at Basila Primary school. Around 11:30am, the boat race was held at Basila ghat, while the art contest and a mime performance was held at Basila Primary School premises.

"We held the events to raise awareness among the city's people and let them know that we must save our rivers from all kinds of threats, like grabbing, encroachment, and pollution," said Sharif Jamil, coordinator of Waterkeepers Bangladesh.

"We're extremely happy to see a lot of young people showing up for the programmes, especially the cycle rally," he said.

Attending the rally, actor and film director Nader Chowdhury said he wants to go back to the time when he travelled around the capital. He also urged people to step up their efforts to protect Buriganga.

The rally opened with a welcome speech by Prof Ahmed Kamruzzaman Majumdar, chairperson of Stamford University's Department of Environmental Sciences, while Md Aminul Islam, president of the implementation council of the events, presided over the opening session.

Prof Kamruzzaman said cyclists understand the importance of a healthy and robust environment. They are also conscious of their own health. Like the cyclists who attended the rally, everyone should raise their voice and act to protect Buriganga river, he added.

The events were supported by Stamford University's environmental science department, in cooperation with USAID, FCDO, and Counterpart International.