Providing public utilities services to slum areas has always been a significant public policy challenge in developing countries. Providing public utilities services to slum areas has always been a significant
The railway lines between Gandaria Railway Station and Jurain Bazar go under water at least at 10 places after a heavy shower due to lack of proper drainage system. This could cause train accidents. Locals blame filling up of water bodies, construction of illegal structures beside the lines and lack of proper drainage system for the problem. The Dhaka-Narayanganj train service is sometimes postponed when the stagnant rainwater rises above the rails, said an official of Bangladesh Railway.
The country is preparing to face the aftermath of climate change in around 50 different sub-sectors under six thematic areas of agriculture, health, livelihoods, disasters management, environment and development. Bangladesh will present its national action plans at a conference in London in September, according to a presentation at the international symposium on "Climate Change and Food Security in South Asia".
The work of Amin Bazar sanitary landfill project is likely to begin in September subject to approval of the Executive Committee of National Economic Council. Officials of the Dhaka City Corporation said they had already acquired 50 acres of land in Amin Bazar area of Savar in Dhaka for the implementation of the proposed two-year project, undertaken by Waste Management Division involving about Tk 65 crore.
At least 3,000 outmoded and unfit small buses ply in the capital disregarding a ban under the very nose of the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority and the Dhaka Metropolitan Police. The communications ministry in collaboration with the traffic department of DMP in 2002 had imposed the ban on the plying of buses of more than 20 years of old in the capital to check environmental pollution, sources in BRTA said. The authorities also conducted a drive against such buses after imposing the ban and seized a good number of outmoded vehicles.
A certificate awarding ceremony of the three-day course on 'Clean technology and cost saving (CTCS)' was held in the city yesterday, says a press release. The training programme was jointly organised by University and Industry (U&I) Alliance and Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies (BCAS) at IBA of Dhaka University. UGC Chairman Prof Nazrul Islam was present at the function as the chief guest with Prof GM Chowdhury of IBA in the chair.
Energy experts said yesterday the government should immediately establish coal-fired power plants, even if it means that coal has to be imported, as it would take some time to extract local coal reserves to solve the power crisis in Dhaka. The experts spoke at a roundtable, organised by the Buet Alumni Association (BUETAA) and the daily Prothom Alo. They also suggested an increase in energy generation from different sources, such as renewable, biomass, hydro and installing nuclear power plants to solve the crisis.
Mosquito menace has taken an alarming turn in many parts of the city afflicting scores of people with dengue in this late monsoon, a perfect weather for mosquito breeding. According to the Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) sources, a total of 375 dengue cases were detected from July 1 to August 18 at different hospitals of the city. People living in Jatrabari, Lalbagh, Dhanmondi, Mohammadpur, Gulshan, Moghbazar, Paltan, Rampura, Goran, Basabo, Manda, Mugda and Sayedabad are the worst sufferers.
A six-day international symposium on 'Climate Change and Food Security in South Asia' will begin in the city tomorrow. Dhaka University and Ohio State University of the USA, in collaboration with the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), the Food and Agriculture Organisation (Fao) and the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific (Escap) will jointly organise the symposium. Some 70 foreign and 200 local experts mainly from Dhaka University and Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) will take part in the symposium.
Dhaka Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) has undertaken a Taka 81.21 crore plan to supply safe drinking water to the dwellers of Narayanganj replacing the existing water supply machineries and setting up of new deep tube-wells during the current fiscal year. According to Narayanganj maintenance, operation and distribution services (MODS) of WASA, of the total amount WASA will provide 12.5 per cent while the rest of the amount would be utilised from the annual development programmes (ADP).
Dhaka Metropolitan Transport Committee has stopped renewing route permits of buses and minibuses over 15 years old, as the communications ministry has decided to impose restrictions on such vehicles in the city. According to the decision, the bus owners should withdraw such buses from Dhaka and can replace their old buses with CNG-run 52-seater buses, an official handout said yesterday. The bus and minibus owners can also operate their old vehicles outside Dhaka and Chittagong cities, it added.
