Dhaka North to plant 2 lakh trees to fight heat
Bushra Afreen appointed as first Chief Heat Officer (CHO) of Dhaka North
Two lakh trees will be planted in Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) areas to bring the temperature under control, under an agreement with the Adrienne Arsht Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Centre, or Arsht-Rock Foundation.
"The Arsht-Rock Foundation is giving us advice and support on various ways to reduce the temperature of Dhaka city... We will plant two lakh trees in Dhaka North areas in the next two years to control the heat," said Dhaka North Mayor Atiqul Islam while speaking as chief guest at the launching ceremony of "Building Urban Heat Resilience: An International Collaboration between the DNCC and the Arsht-Rock" programme at the Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Building of Dhaka University on Wednesday.
"No one should damage the trees once those are planted. Everyone's cooperation is very important for that. If we all take care of the trees after the plantation, they will become a resource for future generations," added Atiqul.
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Meanwhile, the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) has appointed its first Chief Heat Officer (CHO), first in Asia, and joined the ranks of the Arsht-Rock's Global Champions for Heat Action on behalf of one of the fastest growing cities in the world.
Newly appointed CHO Bushra Afreen will undertake various programmes to reduce the temperature in the city in collaboration with the Arshot-Rock Foundation.
"We are thrilled to welcome Dhaka North as our first City Champion for Heat Action in Asia. I will boost ongoing heat resilience efforts and encourage other cities in the region to follow suit," said Mauricio Rodas, senior advisor Heat and City Diplomacy, Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center.
The Dhaka North mayor further said that the temperature of Dhaka city is constantly increasing.
"As a result of fire incidents, the lives and livelihood of the people of the city are under threat. Human performance is decreasing, health is at risk. Financial losses are incurred due to reduced working hours," he added.
North Dhaka is particularly vulnerable to the urban heat island effect due to its densely populated urban core, with hotspots in the city more than 10 degrees Celsius higher than the surrounding countryside. These extreme heat conditions are threatening lives and causing labour productivity losses greater than 8% of the city's annual output, according to a recent study by the Arsht Rock Foundation.
By the year 2050, scorching heat waves will have an impact on the lives and livelihood of more than 3.5 billion people worldwide, half of whom reside in urban areas, said the study.
