Meherjan lives in a slum on the Sirajganj Town Protection Embankment. Her polythene-roofed shelter looks like a cage. She is nearly 45 but looks more than her age. In front of her shelter, she is trying to make a fire to cook the day's only meal. Her weak hands tremble as she adds some fallen leaves and straw to the fire. The whispering wind from the river Jamuna makes the fire unsteady. The dancing of the flames reminds Meherjan of the turmoil in her life. Not long ago Meherjan had everything family, cultivable land and cattle. The erosion of the Jamuna consumed gradually all her landed 21 property. It finally claimed her last shelter during the last monsoon. It took the river only a day to demolish Meher's house, trees vegetable garden and the bamboo bush. She had a happy family once. Over the years, she lost her husband and her family to diseases that cruel hunger and poverty brought to the family. Now, she is the only one left to live on with the loss and the pain. The greedy Jamuna has shattered her dreams and happiness. There are thousand others waiting to share the same fate like Meherjan. Bangladesh is a land of rivers that affect its people. Erosion is a harsh reality for the people living along, the riverbanks. During each monsoon many more villages are threatened by the roaring rivers like the Jamuna, the Padma and the Meghna. It is estimated that river erosion makes at least 1,00,000 people homeless every year in Bangladesh. In fact, river erosion is one of the main dangers caused by climate change. If we can't take prompt actions to adapt to climate change, there will be thousands of more Meherjans in our towns and villages every year.

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Let's save our planet!

Everyone must play a part in protecting the environment. There are many things you can do on your own every day to help save the planet. Here are some suggestions.

REDUCE!

Really, the best thing we can do for the planet is to use its resources properly. Our unplanned activities are mainly responsible for the environmental crisis. Here are some questions you can ask yourself before buying something. "Do I really need this?" or "Is there another product which would do the same thing but is more sustainable? or ask the question, "Will this last a long time?" Some other questions may be, "Do I know how this item was made, how it will be used and how it will be disposed of?

REUSE!

What do you think of using your own ceramic cup or mug at your school or local club? It means there are no plastic cups to throw away. You can wash it and reuse it every day. Unfortunately, we are encouraged to buy a new improved item even if the one we have can be repaired or reused. When we buy things, we should buy those that are durable; we should use them properly, and have them repaired when necessary. If we practise this, many things will not only last a lifetime, but also be passed on for future use. However, if something is truly unusable for its original purposes, try to be more creative and think of how else it might be used. When you're done with it. think of whether someone else might be able to use it. You can donate some of the things to the poor. You may also sell some of your used items through personal advertisements in a local newspaper or in social media.

RECYCLE!

Rather than throwing an item out when neither you nor anyone else can make use of it. have it recycled. And if recycling is not possible, it is better to send goods to a landfill or have them burned up. Find out what types of materials can be recycled in your area. Clean and sort the materials before putting them out in the bin, Recveling your drink and food cans means there will be less trash in a resource recovery facility or landfill. Moreover, a company can use the old cans to make new ones.

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Meherjan lives in a slum on the Sirajganj Town Protection Embankment. Her polythene roofed shelter looks like a cage. She is nearly 45 but looks more than her age. In front of her shelter, she is trying to make a fire to cook the day's only meal. Her weak hands tremble as she adds some fallen leaves and straw to the fire. The whispering wind from the river Jamuna makes the fire unsteady. The dancing flames remind Meherjan of the turmoil in her life.

Not long ago Meherjan had everything, a family, cultivable land and cattle. The erosion of the Jamuna gradually consumed all her landed property. It finally claimed her only shelter during the last monsoon. It took the river only a day to devour Meher's house, trees. vegetable garden and the bamboo bush. She had a happy family once. Over the years, she lost her husband and her family to diseases that cruel hunger and poverty brought to the family. Now, she is the only one left to live on with the loss and the pain. The greedy Jamuna has shattered her dreams and happiness.

There are thousand others waiting to share the same fate like Meherjan. Bangladesh is a land of rivers, some of whose banks overflow or erode during monsoon. Erosion is a harsh reality, for the people living along the riverbanks. During each monsoon, many more villages are threatened by the mighty rivers like the Jamuna, the Padma and the Meghna. It is estimated that river erosion makes at least 100,000 people homeless every year in Bangladesh. In fact, river erosion is one of the main dangers caused by climate change. If we can't take prompt actions to adapt to climate change, there will be thousands of more Meherjans in our towns arid villages every year.

Choose the correct answer from the following alternatives.

26 March, our Independence Day, is the biggest state festival. The day is celebrated every year in the country with great enthusiasm and fervour. It is a national holiday. All offices, educational institutions, shops and factories remain closed on this day The day begins with a 31 gun salute.

Early in the morning the President and the Prime Minister on behalf of the nation place floral wreaths at the National Mausoleum at Savar. Then other leaders, political parties, diplomats, social and cultural organisations, educational institutions and freedom fighters pay homage to the martyrs. People from all walks of life also go there in rallies and processions. There are many cultural programmes throughout the day, highlighting the heroic struggle and sacrifice in 1971.

The country also witnesses a spectacular parade of defence forces, border guards, police, ansars and the VDP (Village Defense Party) at the National Parade Ground near the National Parliament. In Bangabandhu Stadium, school children, scouts and girl guides take part in various displays to entertain thousands of spectators. Educational institutions also organise their individual programmes. Sports meets and tournaments are also organised on the day, including the exciting boat race in the river Buriganga.

In the evening, all major public buildings are illuminated with colourful lights. Bangla Academy. Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, and other socio-cultural organisations hold cultural functions. Similar functions are also arranged in other places in the country.

Choose the correct answer from the following alternatives.

26 March, our Independence Day, is the biggest state festival. The day is celebrated every year in the country with great enthusiasm and fervour. It is a national holiday. All offices, educational institutions. shops and factories remain closed on this day. The day begins with a 31 gun salute.

Early in the morning the President and the Prime Minister on behalf of the nation place floral wreaths at the National Mausoleum at Savar. Then other leaders, political parties, diplomats, social and cultural organisations, educational institutions and freedom fighters pay homage to the martyrs. People from all walks of life also go there in rallies and processions. There are many cultural programmes throughout the day, highlighting the heroic struggle and sacrifice in 1971.

The country also witnesses a spectacular parade of defence forces, border guards, police, ansars and the VDP (Village Defence Party) at the National Parade Ground near the National Parliament, In Bangabandhu National Stadium, school children, scouts and girl guides take part in various displays to entertain thousands of spectators. Educational institutions also organise their individual programmes. Sports meets and tournaments are also organised on the day, including the exciting boat race in the river Buriganga. In the evening, all major public buildings are illuminated with colourful lights. Bangla Academy, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy and other socio-cultural organisations hold cultural functions.Similar functions are also arranged in other places in the country. 

Choose the correct answer from the four alternatives given after each question.