DOE, UNIDO hold plastic awareness drive at parki sea beach

A seminar and large-scale cleanliness drive on the sustainable use of plastic products was held at Parki Sea Beach in Anwara upazila, Chattogram, on Sunday, 29 March 2026.

The event was organised by the Department of Environment (DoE) in collaboration with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), with support from the Government of Norway.

Dipak Tripura, Assistant Commissioner (Land) of Anwara upazila, chaired the programme, with Jamir Uddin, Divisional Director of the Department of Environment, Chattogram, as chief guest.

Special guests included Tawsif Rahman, Senior Assistant Secretary at the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change; Dr Abdullah Al Mamun, National Project Director at the Department of Environment; S M Arafat, National Expert at UNIDO Bangladesh; Md Ashraf Uddin, Assistant Director; and Md Ashraful Alam, Tourist Police in-charge.

Around 300 volunteers from national and local environmental organisations participated, including BD Clean Chattogram, Jatri Foundation, Jonaki Foundation, Swapnamoy Manab Kalyanmukhi Sangathan, Parki Beach Shop Owners Association, Red Crescent Society Chattogram, Scout Anwara, and Volunteers for Bangladesh (Sitakunda branch).

Welcoming participants, Dr Abdullah Al Mamun highlighted collective progress in managing marine plastic waste, expressing optimism that sustained stakeholder efforts and regular coastal cleanliness drives would foster sustainable plastic use and benefit the country.

Delivering the keynote, S M Arafat described plastic pollution as a global crisis and emphasised the need for proper waste management practices, notably the habit of disposing of waste in designated places, to ensure sustainability.

Tawsif Rahman warned that improper waste management has exacerbated pollution, especially from plastics, and called for coordinated action across the administration, voluntary organisations, and all stakeholders.

He also emphasised the importance of instilling proper waste disposal habits from childhood.

As chief guest, Jamir Uddin outlined the government's short- and long-term plans for plastic use and waste management. He noted that despite legislation on single-use plastics since 2002, success has been limited due to low public awareness.

He thanked the Department of Environment and UNIDO for the initiative, stressing the importance of sea beaches in environmental protection. He urged all—from tourists to shopkeepers—to lead by example, arguing that cleaner destinations attract more visitors and boost local incomes.

In his presidential address, Dipak Tripura emphasised that plastic use begins in daily life and called for increased awareness at both individual and family levels to tackle pollution.

He urged tourists and citizens alike to dispose of waste responsibly and called for collective action, with administrative support, to ensure environmental protection and sustainable plastic use.

Following the discussion, participants gathered outdoors, where the chief guest administered an oath urging all to make the cleanliness drive a success and to fulfil their individual responsibilities in protecting the environment.

The cleanliness drive was then formally inaugurated. Participants, volunteers, and sanitation workers collected around 1,000kg of plastic waste from Parki Sea Beach.