STAFF CORRESPONDENT

Bangladesh is drifting away from its agrarian roots as farmland shrinks due to infrastructure projects and young people turn away from farming, speakers said at a conference yesterday.

They called for urgent measures to reverse the trend and protect the environment at the conference titled “Protection of Rivers, Forests, Hills, Agricultural Land, Environment and Natural Resources,” held at Parjatan Bhaban in the capital.

The event was jointly organised by the Association for Land Reform and Development (ALRD), Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA), and the Water Rights Forum.

In her address, BELA Chief Executive Advocate Taslima Islam said Bangladesh is losing rivers, forests, hills, and farmland every day, with marginalised communities suffering the most.

She said Bangladesh ranked 175th

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