WB to cut 4pc for study, supervision

The World Bank would deduct around four percent of the total foreign grants Bangladesh receives under the Bangladesh Climate Change Resilience Fund (BCCRF) from the developed countries to tackle the effects of climate change.
The WB would cut total $4.63 million of Bangladesh's grants as charge of conducting surveys, feasibility studies and supervision of different climate related projects implemented by the government independently or with the help of development partners.
“The service charge will be fixed at one percent of the total fund," said Ellen Goldstein, country director of the World Bank, at a press conference held at a city hotel yesterday.
The charge for preparation for projects and their supervision would vary from one to another depending on locations and patterns of the projects, said a top WB official.
Though the developed countries have granted the BCCRF fund for climate change victims of Bangladesh, it would remain under control of the WB, the official told The Daily Star.
The government and development partners supporting the BCCRF organised the session yesterday to brief about Bangladesh's position in the upcoming UNFCCC Conference of Parties (COP) 18 to be held in Doha, Qatar next week.
At the briefing, it was said that Bangladesh has so far received total $170 million under this fund. Of the amount, Australia granted $7 million, Denmark $1.2 million, the European Union $37 million, Sweden $13 million, Switzerland $3.4 million, the United Kingdom $95 million and the USA $13 million.
"We need as much as $10 billion immediately to fight the effects of climate change. At least $5 billion would be required only for river training," Dr Hasan Mahmud, minister for environment, told the briefing.
Dr Atiur Rahman, governor of Bangladesh Bank, Abdul Karim, former cabinet secretary, Dr Ainun Nishat, vice-chancellor of BRAC University, climate expert Dr Atiq Rahman, among other experts and members of Bangladesh delegation, were present at the crowded press briefing.
William Hanna, Ambassador, Head of Delegation of the European Union to Bangladesh, who was also present at the briefing, said "Bangladesh would become a role-model of a vulnerable developing country pursuing low carbon development."
Under the BCCRF, projects to build and rehabilitate cyclone shelters, mobilise communities for afforestation and reforestation and involve the local NGOs for community-based climate change adaptation activities in poor and vulnerable areas, are already underway. Initiatives to introduce solar irrigation, agricultural adaptation measures and build modern food storage facilities are currently under preparation.
As many as 61 multipurpose cyclone shelters are planned for construction in five districts -- Patuakhali, Pirojpur, Barguna, Satkhira and Khulna. To date, construction of 37 shelters has already started and is expected to be completed by June, 2013.
The first call of proposals will be on next Saturday.
An assessment of the threats of climate-induced migration from vulnerable areas will be carried out in early 2013, Ellen Goldstein said while briefing.