Decentralise dev for climate resilience

Unless towns and cities across the country are made migrant-friendly and climate resilient, the capital city will face continued pressure to tackle the rush of internally displaced people, speakers at the concluding session of a three-day climate conference in Dhaka said yesterday.

Like elsewhere in the world, climate change is displacing people, resulting in growing pressure on cities across the country.

For this reason, speakers stressed for planned action to make towns and cities more accessible and affordable for the poor.

International Centre for Climate Change and Development; Independent University, Bangladesh; and Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network jointly organised the programme titled “National Conference on Urban Resilience to Climate Change” at the capital’s Institute of Architects Bangladesh.

Five climate activists were awarded at the conference for their outstanding work to tackle and mitigate the impacts of climate change.

The awardees are Zannatul Ferdous, mayor of Singra municipality in Manikganj; Hasina Mushrofa, programme head of Brac’s urban development project; Ahsan Rony, founder and president of Green Savers; Khalid Hossain, programme manager of Oxfam; and Shafiqul Islam, assistant engineer of Shariatpur municipality.

Speaking as chief guest, Habibun Nahar, deputy minister of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, said, “Dhaka-centric development will lead to massive economic disparities and a range of environmental and social hazards. So urban development and resource allocation needs to be distributed suitably across the country.”

Speaking as special guest, Prof Shamsul Alam, senior secretary of Bangladesh Planning Commission, said that the issue of climate change is being rightly addressed in the government’s programmes.

Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad, chairperson of Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF), stressed on efforts to reduce the rate of rural-urban migration.