Younger generation must become more aware to protect rivers: Milan

Bashundhara Shuvosangho chief, Bashundhara Group Adviser and renowned novelist Imdadul Haq Milan said on Monday that the younger generation must become more aware of the need to protect rivers and the environment and inspire others to do the same.
He made the remarks while speaking as the chief guest at a discussion on rivers, the environment and social responsibility at the Shuvosangho head office in Dhaka. Shuvosangho Director Zakaria Zaman chaired the programme, attended by students of Jagannath University (JnU).
Milan said the rivers Rajatrekha and Dhanshiri, which he remembered from his childhood, had once been beautiful and vibrant but had largely disappeared due to human encroachment and neglect. Recalling a visit to the River Dhanshiri after many years, he said he was shown a place resembling a drain and told it was where the river had once flowed. 
He also recalled how people once drank and bathed in the Buriganga, saying rivers are part of people’s lives, memories and culture. Their disappearance means losing part of the history and future of the next generation, he added.
Zakaria Zaman said young people are key forces for social change and urged them to play an active role in protecting rivers and the environment.
JnU students shared views on river encroachment, pollution, environmental conservation and social responsibility, while speakers stressed collective efforts alongside individual awareness.