Formulating an effective climate-resilient action plan consisting of natural resource conservation such as vegetation cover, green open spaces and clean, fresh water bodies can be the crucial means of ensuring sustainable development in the region.
Similarly, concerted efforts of all the government and non-government organisations concerned have become an urgent need for mitigating the adverse impact of climate change in the region, including its drought-prone Barind area.
The adverse impact of climate change at alarming rates has severely affected every sector, including agriculture and its diversity, creating a real threat to food production and public health, reports BSS.
Rajshahi Mayor AHM Khairuzzaman Liton came up with the observation while addressing the inaugural ceremony of a two-day stakeholder workshop titled “Innovation for Climate Smart Urban Development Project” on Friday as the chief guest.
Local Government Division (LGD), Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) jointly organised the workshop at Grand Riverview Hotel supported by Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC).
With LGED Additional Chief Engineer Gopal Krishna Debnath in the chair, the opening ceremony was addressed, among others, by LGED Chief Engineer Ali Akhtar Hossain, GIZ Bangladesh Cluster Coordinator Dr Dana de la Fontaine and LGED Additional Chief Engineer Zulfekar Ali as special guests.
Director of GIZ Bangladesh Include Project Mahmudur Rahman welcomed the participants.
Main objective of the project is to promote climate-smart urban development.
More effective use of new information and communication technologies to enable and spearhead innovation and productivity gains, optimisation of the resource use and reduction of physical mobility needs are the salient features of it.
Besides, more attractive public and non-motorised transport, increased use of renewable energy sources, climate smart waste management (improved recycling schemes and waste to energy) and other measures contributing to climate change mitigation are among the possible outcomes.
Mayor Liton said climate change has been acknowledged as the depletion of natural resources and as a major threat to the humanity in the region and urged the developed countries to take immediate effective measures to address the adverse impacts.
Legitimate rights of the farmers and others concerned should be protected rightly for the sake of encouraging them towards boosting agricultural productions to meet up its gradually mounting demands.
Referring to the enormous contribution of farmers to the country’s agricultural development, he said the farmers deserve the rights of getting all requisite privileges. There is no alternative to protect their interests as a whole.
Mayor Liton, also presidium member of Bangladesh Awami League, said they have formulated a project for conserving 22 water bodies in the city and many of those, including Sonadighi, Sapura Mathpukur, Laxmipur TB pond and Sapura graveyard pond, were already conserved and beautified through various infrastructure developments.
In addition to the officials and others concerned, representatives of RCC, Chapainawabganj, Charghat, Gaibandha and Sirajganj pourashava joined the workshop.
