Mongla, Oct 16 (V7N) – Environmental activists in Bangladesh’s coastal town of Mongla have urged the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) to end exploitative and unjust financial practices and instead provide climate reparations to countries most affected by global warming.

The demand came during a human chain demonstration held on Thursday morning at Rudra Muhammad Shahidullah Road in Mithakhali, Mongla. The event was jointly organized by Dhriti Rokkha Amra (DHORA), Waterkeepers Bangladesh, and the Pashur River Waterkeeper, ahead of the World Bank and IMF’s annual meetings later this October.

Speakers at the rally called for the cancellation of climate debt, immediate payment of climate compensation, and a fair transition to renewable energy systems. They also demanded an end to human rights violations and environmental degradation linked to international financial institutions’ policies.

Presiding over the event, Pashur River Waterkeeper and central DHORA leader Md. Nur Alam Sheikh said the continued use of fossil fuels is accelerating climate change, increasing salinity intrusion, and threatening food security and livelihoods across coastal Bangladesh. “We are at risk of 41.06 percent desertification. This is the time for climate reparations and a just energy transition,” he said.

DHORA leader Nazmul Haque said climate change has already brought disaster to agriculture, fisheries, and the environment, causing widespread suffering. “We are not asking for loans—we are asking for compensation,” he declared.

Other speakers included Obaidul Islam, headmaster of Shirya Begum Secondary School; Jesmin Akter Poli, women’s rights advocate; Jane Alam Babu, cultural activist; Maruf Billah, Pashur River Waterkeeper volunteer; and environmentalists Hasib Sardar and Mehedi Hasan.

Teacher leader Obaidul Islam warned that salinity and rising temperatures have deprived nearly 73 percent of coastal people of access to safe drinking water, while increasing hypertension and reproductive health issues. He urged the World Bank and IMF to abandon policies that deepen inequality and harm vulnerable communities.

Environmental groups in Bangladesh, including Waterkeepers Bangladesh, continue to campaign for climate justice, fair financing, and sustainable adaptation measures in regions like Mongla, where rising seas, soil salinity, and frequent cyclones have severely disrupted livelihoods.

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