Staff Reporter: Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Advisor to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the Ministry of Water Resources, announced that a comprehensive master plan for modern waste management will be developed under the Bangladesh Climate Development Partnership (BCDP) in all divisional headquarters and municipal areas of the country.

She emphasized that special initiatives will be taken to green urban areas, particularly Dhaka city, in order to reduce rising temperatures. Necessary steps will also be taken to rehabilitate vulnerable embankments in the coastal regions.

The Adviser made these remarks during a meeting with a delegation from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) at the office of the Ministry of Environment in Bangladesh Secretariat on Tuesday, 15 April. The meeting focused on the progress of BCDP.

She further stated that, with the support of development partners, safe and potable drinking water will be ensured for coastal communities under the BCDP framework. Conservation of biodiversity will also be given priority.

To build institutional resilience, initiatives will be taken to enhance the professional knowledge and capacity of ministry officials to tackle climate risks. A dedicated working group will be formed to outline the roadmap and formulate the action plan for BCDP.

The Adviser also instructed the concerned authorities to launch the official website and other operational components of BCDP by July this year.

The meeting was attended by Dr. Farhina Ahmed, Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Dr. Fahmida Khanom, Additional Secretary (Climate Change), and Mousumi Parvin, Senior Climate Change Officer of ADB, along with other senior ADB officials.

Biniyougbarta/sam//