A three-day national haor festival organised by Paribesh Bachao Andolon (Save the Environment Movement) will begin at Mohanganj in Netrokona tomorrow to protect the water body. Noted writer Muhammed Zafar Iqbal will inaugurate the festival, first of its kind in the country. The programmes of the festival include traditional songs, sports, exhibition and boat race. Mass Education and Cultural Affairs Adviser Rasheda K Chowdhury and Special Assistant to Chief Adviser Manik Lal Samaddar will be present at the inaugural ceremony of the festival. Paribesh Bachao Andolon members yesterday said this at a press conference at the Dhaka Reporters' Unity auditorium in the city. Speaking at the conference, environmentalist Prof Abdullah Abu Sayeed said biodiversity in haor is at stake and our environment will face a predictable danger if we cannot protect the water body. Haor is the vast resource of both fish and crops. Around one and a half crore of people live in haor areas in the country, he added. Prof Abdullah Abu Sayeed called on the government to form a haor development board to save the water body, adding, "The government is not paying much attention to save haor.' Paribesh Bachao Andolon Chairman Abu Naser Khan said we need to save haor to protect our country. Kamal Pasa Chowdhury and Rafiqul Islam of Paribesh Bachao Andolon also took part in the press conference.