urbanisation
Govt takes big urbanisation schemes for major cities
Different development authorities in big cities including the capital, Dhaka, are working on a consolidated plan to deal with rapid urbanisation.
According to a document seen by UNB, the city development authorities are finalising plans for better housing, management of parks and water bodies, elimination of traffic congestion and waterlogging.
The preparation of the Detailed Area Plan (DAP) by Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripokkho (Rajuk) for the periods from 2016 to 2035 is at the final stage, it says.
An earthquake vulnerability assessment for the buildings in in Dhaka city is also going on under the Urban Resilience Project, it says.
A study project titled "Preparation of Chattogram Metropolitan Master Plan (2020-2041)" is being implemented by Chattogram Development Authority.
Rajshahi Development Authority has prepared a master plan to be implemented in four stages over 20 years.
Besides, the drafting of the ‘Urban and Regional Planning Act’ is underway, aimed at planned urbanisation across the country.
In Dhaka, excavation and development of a 100-foot-wide canal on both sides of Kuril-Purbachal Link Road and a 12.3-km, 14-lane road are being constructed, which includes 5 intersections, 13 arch bridges and 4 underpasses and widening of 6 bridges.
Read: Mega projects won’t affect the economy: PM
Besides, construction of a 6.18-km road with 4 bridges, spanning from Notun Bazar area of Dhaka to the Balu River along Madani Avenue is going on under Rajuk.
The document says cleaning and re-excavation of 35 canals are underway in Chattogram to help relieve the city from waterlogging.
Construction of a 16.50-km flyover from Lalkhanbazar to Shah Amanat Airport in Chattogram is also underway.
In addition, the construction of 15.20-km ring road project to reduce traffic congestion in Chattogram city is nearing completion.
The use of modern and eco-friendly blocks, as an alternative to bricks, is being encouraged by the government to ensure sustainable development, according to the official papers.
It says that work is underway to build a pilot plant for making eco-friendly ‘Autoclave Aerated Concrete Panel’.
As a result, it is expected that the implementation of the government’s policy of reducing the use of bricks to zero by 2025 will be accelerated.
In addition, steps have been taken for ensuring the use of rapid building construction technology in line with the construction engineering followed in the developed world, preferring high-rise buildings to ensure optimal use of land.
Read: A roadmap needed for debt repayment of 20 mega projects: Debapriya
The plan also envisages making the construction industry modern and sustainable through the maximum use of local materials, technologies and skilled manpower.
It is bringing old government buildings under earthquake resistance system (seismic retrofitting) according to the needs and importance.
The plan will also make all government buildings environment-friendly, energy-efficient and rich with green technologies by minimising the use of fossil fuels and increasing the use of renewable energy, the document says.
Climate change affects increasing urbanisation: Study
Air density of Dhaka’s two of the most marginalised low-income slums is four to five times higher above the permission limit of Bangladesh for 24 hours.
As a result, residents suffer with air pollution induced diseases like laryngeal problems, asthma and bronchial problems.
A study report published Wednesday titled “Urban Localized Pollution in the Context of Climate Change” revealed such information during its virtual launching and discussion event.
According to the study report, the major source of indoor air pollution in both the marginalise areas are earthen stoves for cooking, using biomass as fuel. Women are the most severely affected by air pollution as they are exposed to smoke for long stretches of time during cooking.
The study was carried out in two large slums of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) – Dholpur Citypolli slum and Dhaka Match Colony, Shyampur.
It focused on four issues- water supply, sanitation, indoor air pollution, and solid waste management.
These low-income settlements are surrounded by many air polluting industries like steel mills, plastic factory, melamine factory, and brick kiln among others.
Read: Leaders' Summit on Climate: Dhaka optimistic about $100 billion fund
The research was conducted under ‘The Featuring Green Earth Project’, which is jointly implemented by Plan International Bangladesh, Bangladesh Youth Environmental Initiative (BYEI) and Population Services and Training Center (PSTC).
The project initiated the research in collaboration with the Department of Urban and Regional Planning (URP), BUET and International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD).
The study was carried out from December 2020 to January 2021 and followed a mixed methodology involving both qualitative and quantitative data.
Professor Afsana Haque, Department of Urban and Regional Planning (URP), BUET and Sarder Shafiqul Alam, Coordinator, ICCCAD shared the research findings in the event.
Mentioning a study report of UNICEF, Afsana Haque said, there are about 4 million people dwelling in 5,000 slums where meeting the basic needs and services is a huge challenge for this population, climate change has made their reality more complex.
Under this research, Center for Atmospheric Pollution Studies (CAPS), Stamford University Bangladesh tested water and air of the research areas.
The air quality report of CAPS team reveals that PM2.5 and PM10 are found four to five times higher above the permissible limit of Bangladesh standard for 24 hours (116.96 µg/m3 and 164.71 µg/m3 in Dholpur and 83.96 µg/m3 and 155.50 µg/m3 in Dhaka Match Colony respectively).
According to the national guideline of Bangladesh, the standard is 2.5 µg/m3 and 10 µg/m3.
The water test report of CAPS reveals that the sample water is contaminated with foreign particles exceeding standard limits in both the study areas.
They found E. Coli (seven or more) and ‘uncountable colonies of total coliform’ in the water. The Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD5) and Chlorine concentration have been reported excessive in the study areas.