In an exclusive interview with VOA, Professor Abdullah Abu Sayeed discusses the government’s initiatives to save the five rivers in the capital of Bangladesh and the canals surrounding it.
Professor Abdullah Abu Sayeed is an activist who have arranged and attended numerous demonstrations to protect the environment of Bangladesh. He believes that it is important to raise one’s voice when such issues arise that need to be addressed. One of the issues plaguing Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh, is the Buriganga River and the waste products that have infiltrated it. About one thousand factories, the City Corporation, and humans dump their waste products in the river.
He believes that today, the government is on the side of the environmentalists. Along with the local people and the activists, the government is also taking positive steps to heal the environment of Dhaka. It will take time, but the country is working towards improvement.
Professor Abdullah Abu Sayeed is the founder and chairman of the Bishwo Shahitto Kendro or World Literature Centre with the goal to promote the study of literature. It remains one of the most important cultural institutions of the nation. Professor Sayeed is also an environmentalist.
