Photo : BSS

GAIBANDHA, June 25, 2025 (BSS) - World Environment Day 2025 was observed in Gaibandha today with great enthusiasm, calling for urgent action to protect the environment from degradation, particularly plastic pollution.

This year's theme was "Ending plastic pollution."

To mark the occasion, the SKS Foundation, a Gaibandha-based non-governmental development organization working nationwide, organized various programmes under its School-Led Community Resilience to Disaster and Climate Risk project. 

The day's events began at 10 am with a grand rally that started from the premises of Belka MC High School under Belka Union in Sundarganj upazila. The rally paraded through Belka Bazaar and returned to the school premises.

Following the rally, a discussion meeting was held in the school's hall room, with Head Teacher Ahsan Habib Khokon presiding. 

Ibrahim Khalilullah, Chairman of Belka Union Parishad and several local volunteers addressed the event.

Project Manager Afroja Bulbul delivered the welcome speech and presented an overview of the project's activities, which are being implemented across three disaster-prone unions in the upazila: Belka, Kapasia and Horipur.

She informed that under the project, 10 high schools in these unions have been brought under intervention. Several school buildings, previously unfit for academic use, have been repaired and made functional. 

Speakers at the discussion emphasized the urgent need to protect the environment from various forms of degradation, with special attention to raising awareness about the harmful effects of plastic pollution.

Later, saplings of fruit-bearing trees were planted on the school premises as part of the day's initiatives.

A large number of students, teachers, local dignitaries, social workers, journalists and invited guests participated spontaneously in the programmes.