Disaster Management and Relief Minister Asadul Habib Dulu today inaugurated a programme to plant over 100,000 palmyra seeds across Lalmonirhat district to combat climate change, maintain environmental balance and reduce lightning risks.

He inaugurated the programme by planting seeds at DC Park, adjacent to Chandni Bazar in Lalmonirhat Sadar Upazila, at 11:00 am.

The initiative, organised by Sabuj Seba Jubo Biggan Sangha under the slogan "Let us build a clean environment and adorn the earth with greenery," is being implemented simultaneously in the district's five upazilas.

Speaking at the ceremony, Dulu said Bangladesh was among the countries most severely affected by climate change, which was creating new types of disasters alongside natural calamities.

He noted that lightning strikes and related fatalities had increased in recent years. 

While government measures had reduced deaths from cyclones and tidal surges to almost zero, changing weather patterns were creating new challenges, he added.

Lalmonirhat Deputy Commissioner Muha Rashedul Haque Pradhan presided over the event. District Superintendent of Police Md. Asaduzzaman, the organisation's founder Md. Khairul Islam, other officials and over 100 volunteers attended.

The organisers said the organisation had previously planted around 40,000 palmyra seeds along the railway line from Teesta to Burimari.
 
It also conducts tree-planting programmes at educational institutions and environmental awareness seminars.

They expressed hope that the latest initiative would encourage public participation in environmental conservation and help create a greener, more habitable environment for future generations.