‘Climate change becomes a threat to urban environment’

RAJSHAHI, Sept 7 (BSS): Climate change is becoming a threat to the urban environment and the uncertainty that arises due to climate change needs to be considered in the overall urban risk management framework, speakers at a discussion here said recently.

They viewed all the vulnerability issues need to be brought under comprehensive risk based master plan to accommodate at least 30 per cent more people from vulnerable rural areas around these cities only due to climate change.

The observations came at a participatory meeting with Local Government Institute Town Team, Federation of Community Housing Development Fund and City Disaster Management Committee for Documentation of Climate Change Resilience Initiative and Strategy Development for UPPRP, UNDP Bangladesh.

Urban Partnership for Poverty Reduction Project (UPPRP) and Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) jointly organised the meeting held at RCC's conference hall.

International Consultant of Documentation of Climate Change Resilience Initiative and Strategy Development Dr Coolleen Butcher- Gollach addressed the meeting as a resource person.

RCC Chief Executive Officer Ajahar Ali, Secretary Syeda Zebin Nissa Sultana, Chief Engineer Ashraful Haque, UPPRP Twon Team Member-Secretary Engineer Nur Islam Tussar and Town Manager Mahbubul Alam also took part in the discussion. Ward Councilors and others concerned were present at the meeting.

In her remarks, Dr Coolleen Butcher mentioned that the rural poor people with their recurrent disaster exposures are migrating into urban areas.

These new comers' city dwellers face a high employment crisis in cities and with very poor-quality housing and other well being further tapping them into a deeper urban poverty cycle. The urban poverty is highly linked with rural disaster risks.

The urbanization situation, particularly the housing situation in Bangladesh is getting more acute with every passing year. Government efforts to mitigate the problem in the past have been far from adequate, and have been confined to areas in and around metropolitan cities.