Gaibandha Correspondent :
International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction was celebrated in the district on Tuesday as elsewhere in the country and the globe with a theme ‘Knowledge for Life”.
To mark the day, district administration organized a discussion meeting at Gaibandha Public Library and Club of the town here in cooperation with Bangladesh Red Crescent Society and Swiss Red Cross and a number of NGOS including SKS Foundation, Oxfam, GUK, Friendship, RDRS Bangladesh and ESDO.
Deputy Commissioner (DC) M Abdus Samad addressed the meeting as the chief guest while additional deputy commissioner (General) M. Shamsul Azam presided over the ceremony.
The function was also addressed, among others, by district relief and rehabilitation officer M. Habibur Rahman, former president of Gaibandha Press Club Gobinda Lal Das, project manager of DRR-Wash project Abdullah Al Mamun, coordinator of SKS Foundation Ismail Hossain, and journalist Sarker M. Shahiduzzaman.
The speakers in their speeches said due to geographical location, Bangladesh has become one of the most disaster prone countries in the world and it experiences extreme weather conditions and disastrous hazards including flooding, river erosion, drought, cold wave, tornados, tidal surges and cyclones every year.
BSS from Rajshahi adds: Speakers at a post-rally discussion here today said loss of lives and assets caused by natural disasters could be mitigated to a great extent through collective efforts of all and better management.
They said the elderly people should be given priority in the activities and process of disaster reduction as they are more vulnerable to any disasters, they added.
District administration organised the discussion at its conference hall to mark the International Day for Disaster Reduction-2015 in association with various development organizations.
“Knowledge for life” was the main theme of the day.
Commissioner of Rajshahi division Helaluddin Ahmed was the chief guest and Principal of Rajshahi College Professor Habibur Rahman was special guest with Deputy Commissioner Mejbah Uddin Chowdhury in the chair.
