DHAKA: A colorful rally, organized by environment and forest ministry, was brought out in city with a call of saving environment as well as controlling the increase of sea level.

Environment and forest secretary Shafiul Alam Patwari inaugurated the rally Wednesday morning at Shahbagh on the occasion of World Environment Day that falls on June 5.

With the theme for this year’s Environment Day ‘Raise Your Voice, Not the Sea Level’, the rally was brought out from Shahbagh and moved through TSC and Doel Chattar of Dhaka University and ended in the Secretariat area.

Shafiul Alam said that global warming has been increasing day by day. Unplanned urbanization, industrialization and pressure of increased number of population are behind the destruction of environment.

He said that building houses and industries by encroaching rivers and forests is also a cause of destruction of biodiversity.

Officials of environment and forest ministry, Rover Scout members, students of different education institutions and representatives of several developing organizations participated in the rally.

A 35-member Ansar group with music instruments performed in the rally.

However, several socio-cultural organizations took part at the rally with banners, festoons and placards protesting proposed Rampal thermal power plant in Bagerhat and calling to save world’s largest single mangrove forest Sundarban of that region.

World Environment Day ('WED') is celebrated every year on June 5 to raise global awareness to take positive environmental action to protect nature and the planet Earth. It is run by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

BDST: 1353 HRS, JUNE 04, 2014