Concerted efforts to reduce carbon emission stressed

Highlighting the importance of pollution-free environment speakers at a meeting unequivocally called for substantial and sustainable reduction of carbon emission for ensuring safe habitat for all.

Present triggering trend of carbon emission has been posing a serious threat to the environment coupled with the habitat. Concerted effort of all the government and non-government organizations concerned has become crucial to mitigate the problem.

The discussants came up with the observation while addressing a community level meeting at Borokuthipara area in Rajshahi city on the occasion of observing the World Habitat Day- 2021 on Wednesday.

Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) and Brac Urban Development Programme (UDP) jointly organised the meeting discussing and devising ways and means on how to establish a carbon-free Rajshahi.

The theme of the day this year is ‘Accelerating urban action for a carbon-free world’.

RCC Panel Mayor Shariful Islam Babu, Ward Councilor Matiur Rahman and Town Planner Bony Ahsan addressed the meeting as resource persons with Brac Regional Coordinator of UDP Farzana Parvin Shampa in the chair.

The meeting was told that 91,000 people from over 24,000 households living in different slum areas in the city have got the scope of improving their lives and livelihood conditions amid intervention of the UDP taken for reducing their multi-dimensional poverty and deprivation.

Forty of the beneficiary households have got houses with the initiative.

Brac has been implementing the project in association with RCC to engage multi-sectorial partners to create employment opportunities for the urban poor people, and improve their overall living and livelihood conditions and realise basic rights.

During her welcome address, Farzana Parvin told the meeting that 17,500 youths, including around 13,000 females aged from 15 to 29 are getting necessary knowledge through need-based promotional activities under the project.

Slum dwellers are getting safe drinking water, sanitation, housing and education facilities and their living and livelihood conditions are ultimately improving, she informed.

Some 3,000 youths are being imparted with either three or six-month need-based vocational and technical training, she said.

Shariful Islam said proper housing for people living in urban poverty has become a prerequisite to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDG-11), and ensure planned urbanization and continued economic progress of the city.

He focused on stronger collaboration between the government

and non- government organizations, and involving public representatives and other relevant stakeholders to promote plans for people living in urban poor areas.