Staff Correspondent

Dhaka Deputy Commissioner Farida Khanam stressed the critical need for a massive tree plantation drive to transform the capital into a more liveable, eco-friendly, and climate-resilient city, stating that there is no alternative to planting trees to save Dhaka.

She made the remarks as the chief guest at a tree plantation program organized by the local administration at the auditorium of a private university in the Khagan area of Birulia, Savar on Tuesday.

The event was held under the theme, "Green Dhaka's commitment, today's tree is tomorrow's breath."

Highlighting the growing environmental risks, rising temperatures, and severe air pollution driven by climate change, the DC urged every citizen to embrace tree plantation as a social responsibility alongside government initiatives. She emphasized that the duty does not end with merely planting a sapling; rather, ensuring the proper care and survival of each tree is paramount. She noted that saving a tree means saving a life, a family, and a healthy environment altogether.

She called for planned tree plantation across educational institutions, public and private offices, industrial zones, residential areas, and any available open spaces, urging collective and coordinated action for environmental conservation.

To illustrate the immense ecological value of greenery, Farida Khanam cited research showing that an average adult inhales around 550 liters of oxygen daily, amounting to nearly 1.4 million liters over an average lifespan of 70 years. In contrast, a fully grown tree produces an average of 82,600 liters of oxygen per year.

Consequently, a person requires at least 17 mature trees to sustain their lifetime oxygen needs. However, noting that not all saplings survive to maturity, she advised everyone to plant at least 100 trees throughout their lives to ensure that at least 17 successfully reach adulthood.

The DC also drew a stark financial comparison with emergency healthcare costs, noting that an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) bed in Bangladesh, including medical oxygen and other treatments, costs anywhere between Tk 10,000 and Tk 50,000 per day, and sometimes even more.

While ICU oxygen can be purchased with money during a medical crisis, nature and the surrounding greenery provide this vital resource absolutely free of charge during a person's healthy life.

She concluded that the holistic value of a mature tree—which offers shade, natural cooling, biodiversity shelter, and broader environmental protection—remains entirely priceless and beyond any monetary valuation.