Project Oxygen to plant 49,000 trees in Amphan hit areas

Three organisations in Bangladesh are arranging a tree-planting event called 'Project Oxygen' on September 4 in 7 unions of Koyra Upazila in Khulna.

49,000 trees will be planted in the Amphan affected coastal areas of Koyra, Khulna during this event, according to a press release. The event is celebrating the spirit of the 49th year of the independence of Bangladesh and 49,000 trees will be planted in 49 minutes.

The trees will be planted in the following 7 unions of Koyra upazila ─ Amadi, Baghali, Maheshwarpur, Maharajpur, Koyra Sadar, Uttor Bekdashi, Dakshin Bekdashi, the press release said.

20,500 Shirish, 16,500 Lombu, 2,000 Guava, 2,500 Kodbel, 5,000 Chobeda, 2,000 Tamarind, 500 Krishnachura, 500 Bokul, 1000 Amlaki and 3000 Tal trees will be planted at this event.

Volunteers from BANDHU Foundation of Bangladesh, Give Bangladesh and Aamrai Bangladesh, and local volunteering groups will take part in planting the trees. IPDC Finance Ltd, BRAC Bank, Bank Asia, Swapno will donate plants for this event.

Epyllion Group will provide masks for the volunteers participating in the event. Seventeen youth organisations of the Khulna belt will look after the trees planted for the next one year. 1,000 local ultra-poor people will look after the fruit bearing trees as well as consume the fruits, the press release informed.

The main objective of this event is to reforest the Bangladeshi coastal areas affected by cyclone Amphan, the press release said.

Koyra, an upazila of Khulna, lost about 40,000 trees due to Amphan. The event, by planting 49,000 trees, aims to strengthen these coastal areas to withstand future natural disasters.

Combatting environmental degradation due to deforestation and supporting local ultra-poor people through providing fruit-bearing trees for their consumption are also key aims of this event, the press release further said.

BANDHU Foundation of Bangladesh is a development innovation organisation that explores innovative and sustainable solutions to address wide-ranging social issues in Bangladesh.

Give Bangladesh is an initiative under Social Work Platform Trust, with the aim to facilitate the participation of fellow Bangladeshis in the development process of the country.

Aamrai Bangladesh is a social venture that brings forth stories about inspirational and selfless patriots of the country through social media activities and television shows.