Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) Mayor Md Rezaul Karim Chowdhury has said innovative and effective measures are required urgently to tackle the adverse impact of climate change on the urban poor.
He said: “We must work together to offer innovative and effective solutions to tackle the adverse impact of climate change on the poor people of the port-city.”
The CCC mayor was speaking at an event organized by the Livelihoods Improvement of Urban Poor Communities (LIUPC) project in Chittagong on Thursday, according to a media statement.
The Local Government Division (LGD), Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development & Cooperatives with financial and technical support from the government of Bangladesh, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and United Nations Development Program (UNDP) are implementing the LIUPC project under the National Urban Poverty Reduction Program (NUPRP) to reduce urban poverty in Bangladesh.
Addressing the function, Judith Herbertson, development director at Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Bangladesh, said: “Climate change will become a huge problem for Bangladesh as it is a delta and much of the land and therefore many people are at risk. However, the community here are working together with support from the government, the FCDO and the UNDP through this LIUPC project to change their situation.”
Sudipto Mukerjee, resident representative of UNDP Bangladesh, said: “Many of the new settlers in cities and towns are both climate migrants and extremely poor – moving to urban areas in search of a better life. Yet many end up living in slums in very poor conditions. As is often the case, women and girls are more vulnerable.”
Abdul Mannan, national project director of LIUPC Project and joint secretary of LGD, said that the LIUPC project was designed to reach first the unserved and underserved urban population in Bangladesh.
“It aims to promote livelihoods and living conditions of up to four million poor people living in urban areas in up to 20 city corporations and municipalities [12 city corporations and eight class A municipalities],” he said.
Chittagong is the second-largest city in Bangladesh and is also home to thousands of urban poor. Hilly terrain, heavy rainfall and soil erosion trigger frequent floods, waterlogging, and landslides, disrupting communication.
Moreover, the area also faces challenges of sewage waste overflow, which can impact public health. Effects of climate change further exacerbate the impacts of natural hazards, and the poor drainage and sewage network adds to the suffering of the urban poor communities.
The LIUPC project focuses on climate change issues with special emphasis on supporting low-income settlements with disaster risk reduction strategies and climate resilient infrastructure as an effective initiative to provide practical solutions to 700 such households at Bijoy Nagar in Chittagong.
Interventions under the scheme include recharging the neighbouring lake to help store clean water through Decentralised Wastewater Treatment Systems (DEWATS), construction of retention walls to decrease soil erosion and construction of sewage and draining facilities, pathways and stairways with reinforced cement concrete (RCC).
It is expected to improve public health, communication and community safety, especially of children and the elderly, during the monsoon season.
The initiative has targeted 3,200 beneficiaries across 700 households. The total project cost of Tk82,35,795 includes a 10% contribution from the city corporation.
