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Realising DReAMS in Rajshahi. Ashraful Haque 10 February, 2011. Rajshahi City Corporation, Bangladesh. About Rajshahi. A major city in Bangladesh about 270 km from the capital Dhaka. Located on the northern bank of the Padma (Ganges). Centre for excellence for education
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Realising DReAMS in Rajshahi Ashraful Haque 10 February, 2011
About Rajshahi • A major city in Bangladesh about 270 km from the capital Dhaka. Located on the northern bank of the Padma (Ganges). • Centre for excellence for education • Variety of religion such as Islam, Hinduism and Christianity. Social and communal harmony among people, friendly politics and economical trend support us for peaceful and hopeful life. • From a small city of only about 40,000 population in 1951, the city has grown into the fourth largest city in Bangladesh with over half a million population. • It became a municipality in 1876, a Municipal Corporation in 1987 and finally a City Corporation in 1992. • Rajshahi is well known for its delicious mango and litchi. • Hot in summer (40-430C) and very cold in winter (<50C).
General Indicators • Population : 750000 • Area : 93.60 Km2 • Average Temperature : 24°C • Annual Precipitation : 1624.67mm • Annual Avg Humidity : 74% • Literacy rate : 69.30
Environmental Indicators • Solid waste generated: 300 tons (80% daily collected) • Drainage System: Planned network at 75% city area • Road and lanes: 320Km (85% in good condition)
Mayor’s City Vision 2018 on Environment • Plantations with the help of local citizens, NGOs, Community Based Organizations, public universities or students, housewives. • Cleanliness at night. • Creation of more landfill sites for waste. • Creation of new parks and gardens. Eco park on the river Padma. • Installation of incinerator plant for medical waste. • Conservation of ponds and water bodies. • Ban on vehicles horns in the city. • Awareness raising on environmental problems and climate change. • Use of energy efficient appliances in homes, CFLs, LEDs, for construction of government or public or private buildings. • Use of energy efficient fuels, battery operated vehicles. • Promoting public transport or manual rickshaws for short distances etc.
Activities undertaken/Plan to meet the targets • At present Rajshahi City is implementing a programme of social forestry and has planted greenbelts under Make Rajshahi City Green Project (MRGP) as a key adaptation mitigation strategy. • Rapid expansion of energy saving devices e.g. use of CFL is growing popular among the people. This year 275000 CFL has been distributed among the people in the city free of cost with the condition of returning their used tungsten bulbs in order to popularise the use of energy savers. • In order to improve energy consumption pattern in transport sector and options for mitigation of climate change, Rajshahi city is proposing to use the battery run auto-riksha instead of diesel or petrol run. Rajshahi City Corporation issued 3900 battery run auto-riksha in 2010.
Rajshahi is working as a partner with the ministry of environment and forest to launch a Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project concerned with waste management of Rajshahi City. This initiative intends to generate carbon credits and facilitate carbon market financing in the future. • Urban Public Environmental Health Sector Development Program (UPEHSDP) are working with Rajshahi City’s solid waste to reduce the discharge of methane gas in the air. • These solid wastes will be used for producing compost as fertilizer and methane gas collection in cylinder or bio bag for fuel.
Rajshahi City Corporation is strongly working with its citizen in the line of carbon saving and environmental issues. • In September-2010, 15000 saplings have been distributed among the people to encourage them in plantation and make the city green. • For the sustainable green activity every year sapling fair (sale of plants and saplings) is arranged in the city. • In Rajshahi City’s solid waste collection system, community is working effectively. In Bangladesh only Rajshahi City collects its generated solid waste at night. • Renewable energy development actively is incoming to the mind of citizen. The Honorable Mayor of Rajshahi City Corporation arranged a meeting with the engineers of Power Development Board (PDB) to undertake an awareness program for the use of solar energy in institutions, in offices, in hospitals, in homes, in city street lighting system, in water tube wells etc.
PDMS in Rajshahi City Sites selected for PDMS • West Bothpara • Balia Pukur • Jamalpur • Namo Vodra • Khojapur
Challenges faced on environmental issues • The urbanization in Rajshahi is lower than other metro cities in the country and as such the environmental problems related to rapid urbanization process is not acute. • The problems of congestion and high-density living environment, overcrowded and congested transportation network, uncontrolled informal sectors are only beginning to be felt. • In some areas already the problems have started to affect the health and mental situation of the city population. • The city’s open space utilization, water bodies, park facilities, green environment and recreational facilities and play grounds have already started to show signs of overstretch. • And require immediate increased investments so that it can cope of with the current demand for these services.