EBL invests Tk 74 lakh in Bhasan Char coastal greening

Eastern Bank PLC (EBL) has invested Tk 74 lakh to support coastal greening and climate resilience initiatives on Bhasan Char, one of Bangladesh’s most climate-vulnerable coastal areas.

Under its corporate social responsibility programme, the bank has partnered with NouKollan Foundation Trading Company Ltd to implement two integrated projects focused on large-scale afforestation and land restoration on Bhasan Char.

The initiatives aim to enhance ecological stability and improve living conditions for around 32,000 residents of the island, according to a press release.

The projects will support tree plantation across nearly 16,500 acres, including 1,702 acres within a flood-control embankment developed under the Ashrayan-3 Project.

To ensure the sustainability of the plantations, soil filling and grass planting will be carried out along the embankment, creating a protective buffer for saplings while strengthening natural defences against climate-induced risks.

At a ceremony held at the bank’s head office in Dhaka recently, Ahmed Shaheen, additional managing director of EBL, handed over the project funding cheques to Mohammad Habib Ul Alam, managing director of NouKollan Foundation Trading Company Ltd.

Shaheen said the initiative reflected the bank’s commitment to environmental stewardship and community resilience, adding that sustainable afforestation on Bhasan Char would contribute to long-term protection of both livelihoods and the coastal ecosystem.

Habib Ul Alam said the CSR-backed programme would significantly strengthen coastal protection and promote long-term environmental sustainability.

He added that the project would include coconut tree plantation across a substantial area of Bhasan Char in Hatiya upazila of Noakhali district.

The event was attended by senior officials from both organisations, including Manjur Ahmed, director of finance and marketing, and SM Nurul Alam, project officer from NouKollan Foundation Trading Company Ltd, as well as Md Abdus Salam, head of administration, Md Abdullah Al Mamun, company secretary, and Md Maskur Reza, head of business information systems of EBL, among others.