Climate-resilient action plan crucial for sustainable development: Rajshahi mayor
The adverse impact of climate change at alarming rates has severely affected every sector, including agriculture and its diversity, creating a real threat to food production and public health, said the mayor.
Formulating an effective climate-resilient action plan consisting of natural resource conservation such as vegetation cover, green open spaces and clean, fresh water bodies can be the crucial means of ensuring sustainable development in the region, Rajshahi Mayor AHM Khairuzzaman Liton said today (24 May).
Similarly, concerted efforts of all the government and non-government organisations concerned have become an urgent need for mitigating the adverse impact of climate change in the region, including its drought-prone Barind area, he said while addressing the inaugural ceremony of a two-day stakeholder workshop titled "Innovation for Climate Smart Urban Development Project" in Rajshahi as the chief guest.
The adverse impact of climate change at alarming rates has severely affected every sector, including agriculture and its diversity, creating a real threat to food production and public health, said the mayor.
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Mayor Liton said climate change has been acknowledged as the depletion of natural resources and as a major threat to the humanity in the region and urged the developed countries to take immediate effective measures to address the adverse impacts.
Legitimate rights of the farmers and others concerned should be protected rightly for the sake of encouraging them towards boosting agricultural productions to meet up its gradually mounting demands.
Referring to the enormous contribution of farmers to the country's agricultural development, he said the farmers deserve the rights of getting all requisite privileges. There is no alternative to protect their interests as a whole.
Mayor Liton, also praesidium member of Bangladesh Awami League, said they have formulated a project for conserving 22 water bodies in the city and many of those, including Sonadighi, Sapura Mathpukur, Laxmipur TB pond and Sapura graveyard pond, were already conserved and beautified through various infrastructure developments.
Local Government Division (LGD), Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) jointly organized the workshop at Grand Riverview Hotel supported by Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC).
With LGED Additional Chief Engineer Gopal Krishna Devnath in the chair, the opening ceremony was addressed, among others, by LGED Chief Engineer Ali Akter Hossain, GIZ Bangladesh Cluster Coordinator Dr Dana Dela Fontain and LGED Additional Chief Engineer Zulfiker Ali as special guests.
In addition to the officials and others concerned, representatives of RCC, Chapainawabganj, Chargaht, Gaibandha and Sirajganj pourashava joined the workshop.
