Dhaka, May 25 -- Citizen leaders have called for a special allocation in the national budget to address the growing challenges facing Bangladesh's coastal regions.

They said climate change has put the lives, livelihoods, environment, and biodiversity of people in 19 coastal districts at increasing risk, while recurring natural disasters continue to worsen the situation.

They also stressed the need for long-term and coordinated measures to effectively tackle these challenges.

The demands were raised at a press conference organised by the Climate Action Forum (CAF) at the National Press Club on Sunday.

The event was chaired by CAF Convener Aminur Rasul Babul, while the keynote paper was presented by Nikhil Chandra Bhadra, Coordinator of...