What motion was taken in your tenure?
In my first yr, I targeted on understanding bureaucratic processes and strategising to expedite initiatives. Elevating consciousness has been ongoing, with classes held in weak communities like Shagfuta Housing and Mirpur Ceramics the place over 5,000 saplings have been planted.
We’re finalising an MoU with the Bangladesh Meteorological Division to combine climate forecast information into the ShobarDhaka App [a citizen complaints app rolled out by the city’s governing body] together with a heat-health characteristic that can collect consumer information to know warmth’s affect on wellbeing.
Advisory efforts have translated into short-term plans, notably the mayor’s ‘zero soil’ initiative for intensive tree planting. There’s additionally an upcoming warmth motion week that begins from 23 June with volunteers coaching for the survey on warmth resilience among the many residents of Dhaka North.
The survey begins on 27 June. The second part of warmth motion week begins in July the place we work on water and sanitation. All metropolis company buildings could have WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) amenities included in them.
I’ve additionally helped create a collaboration with Dhaka Water Provide and Sewerage Authority and [the private company] Drinkwell to make sure entry to wash water for commuters and labourers. Efforts are underway to petition the Ministry of Catastrophe Administration and Reduction to recognise excessive warmth as a pure catastrophe and to formally title distinct heatwaves, akin to cyclones.
What long-term choices ought to town take to deal with heatwaves?
One main problem in Dhaka is the city warmth island (UHI) phenomenon, brought on by actions like air pollution and the proliferation of concrete and asphalt, which change pure greenery and lure warmth. These elements elevate floor temperatures in the course of the day and retain warmth at night time. Moreover, human actions like heating, air-con, and transportation add to town’s warmth.
Dhaka’s speedy inhabitants development and concrete enlargement have led to intensive deforestation and the conversion of water our bodies into high-rise developments, worsening the UHI impact and paving the way in which for extreme warmth waves. Halting city enlargement in a single day isn’t possible, however elevating consciousness amongst planners, builders, and customers is significant for restoring inexperienced areas and preserving water our bodies.
In a crowded metropolis like Dhaka, understanding the thermal affect of buildings is essential. We have to measure how a lot warmth they produce and work out methods to make older buildings cooler. We’re additionally discussing initiatives like city forests, impressed by the Miyawaki idea, with authorities entities for land acquisition and funding.
Waste administration is one other essential facet of sustainable city improvement. Unregulated waste disposal has led to methane hotspots throughout town, requiring pressing motion.
We’re partnering with organisations just like the AMAL Basis for plastic bottle recycling. Lastly, information assortment and evaluation are important for knowledgeable decision-making and proactive preparedness. By utilizing data-driven insights, cities can enhance their resilience to warmth and develop efficient response methods for future challenges.
What would you do if you happen to had extra funding or assist?
With extra funding or assist, our focus could be on boosting consciousness and advocacy efforts, together with participating extra with civil society and public-private partnerships. We imagine that open discussions and collaboration are key to creating well timed choices and implementing initiatives successfully.
At current, we’re mobilising a volunteer community to interact 20,000 households by means of a baseline Information, Angle, and Follow (KAP) survey – which is designed to disclose misconceptions or misunderstandings which can be potential limitations for change – that additionally addresses current situations that enhance vulnerability to warmth.
We’re additionally making a warmth security and consciousness booklet and a collapsible hand fan that might be given to the surveyors, but additionally to commuters, faculties, well being centres, and extra. With extra monetary assets, we might develop this marketing campaign to succeed in an excellent bigger viewers.
Moreover, we have to speed up the implementation of our city forest initiative, and give attention to nature-based options.
Do ladies face gender-specific points with regards to warmth?
For girls commuters, the dearth of sanitation amenities presents a major problem, as ladies then drink much less, in order that they don’t seem to be compelled to want bogs, and this makes it onerous to remain hydrated in sizzling climate. Equally, ladies caring for family duties typically face extended publicity to warmth whereas cooking or taking care of kids – whose hydration and shelter wants they should deal with if the kids usually are not in class.
Working carefully with town company and different companions, we’re making progress on initiatives like women-friendly “pink bogs.” These amenities can be strategically situated close to cooling areas – shaded protected areas – supplied by town company, making them simply accessible for girls in search of reduction from the warmth.
Our consciousness booklet additionally shines a lightweight on the distinctive challenges ladies face throughout warmth waves, particularly those that are pregnant or working. I’m additionally grateful for the enthusiastic participation of ladies from casual settlements in our tree-planting initiatives. Their dedication to environmental conservation and neighborhood resilience is really inspiring.
How are you collaborating with worldwide organisations to deal with the challenges posed by excessive warmth?
Final yr, we engaged with the UNDP by means of one in every of their programmes (LIUPCP) to work with ladies from 15 casual settlements, specializing in sustainability, biodiversity, and native timber. We labored collectively to determine stewardship, monitoring and tree planting places the place we planted 5,000 timber.
The CHO’s workplace pushed ahead for a tripartite settlement together with the Bangladesh Meteorological Division (BMD) and the Regional Built-in Multi-Hazard Early Warning System for Africa and Asia (RIMES). By way of these collaborations, we not solely obtain important forecasting information but additionally leverage it to develop a user-friendly cell utility. This utility will function a platform for disseminating real-time data on warmth dangers and recommending applicable measures to mitigate them, thereby enhancing public preparedness and resilience.
Our collaboration with C40 – a world community of mayors cooperating on local weather change – has led to the event of a complete local weather motion plan for Dhaka which launched on Could twelfth, 2024. By way of participation in workshops, now we have gained insights into simulations, such because the Paris 50-degree warmth situation, and examined how cities reply to excessive warmth occasions.
As an illustration, discussions have centred round protocols for managing faculty closures throughout excessive warmth, emergency responses to fireside outbreaks, and neighborhood assist measures within the face of warmth waves. At present, we’re trying into partnering with The Centre for Growth Economics and Sustainability (CDES) at Monash College in Melbourne for our baseline KAP survey.
This text was initially revealed on Dialogue Earth beneath a Artistic Commons licence.
