Staff Correspondent:

Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Water Resources Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan 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, to reduce rising temperatures. Necessary steps will also be taken to rehabilitate vulnerable embankments in the coastal regions.

Rizwana made these remarks during a meeting with a delegation from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) at her Bangladesh Secretariat office on Tuesday.

The meeting focused on the progress of BCDP, said a media release.

The adviser further said 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, she said.

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

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, among others, were present in the meeting.