Proper land use for sustainable urban development stressed

KHULNA, July 21: A consultation workshop on “Land Use, Housing and Open Space” was held in Khulna on Tuesday to formulate a climate resilience strategy for the city.

The day-long workshop, organised at CSS Ava Centre under the Climate Change Adapted Urban Development (CCAUD) Programme Phase-II, was jointly financed by the Government of Bangladesh and the German Development Bank (KfW).

Khulna City Corporation (KCC) Administrator Nazrul Islam Manju chaired the event while Khulna Development Authority (KDA) Chairman SM Shafiqul Alam attended it as the guest of honour. Officials from KCC, KDA, KfW and the project also participated.

Speaking at the workshop, Manju stressed the importance of proper land use for sustainable urban development, saying unplanned development is harmful and future projects must be implemented based on practical needs.

He noted that many government-owned lands in the city remain unused and have become neglected.

Referring to Dhaka's Hatirjheel project, he said proper planning and utilisation of such land could significantly improve the city's environment and aesthetics.

He also emphasised constructing drainage facilities alongside new roads and housing projects, improving the city's deteriorating link roads, and building small bridges over canals along the city boundary. Urban development, he said, requires coordinated efforts among all development agencies rather than isolated initiatives.

Highlighting the ongoing CCAUD project, officials said it includes climate-resilient infrastructure development, drainage system modernisation and institutional support for flood management. Major components include sustainable embankments and retaining walls at Daulatpur and Maheshwarpasha cremation grounds to prevent river erosion and flooding, re-excavation and beautification of four major canals, restoration of around 17 to 23 government ponds to improve groundwater recharge, drainage network improvement along the Rupsha River and Sonadanga Bypass Road, installation of a new pumping station, and construction of a climate-resilient park.

KDA Chairman SM Shafiqul Alam said the authority has allocated nearly 4,000 residential plots through ten housing projects to address the city's housing demand.

He added that solar systems have recently been made mandatory in all new building designs approved by the authority.

He also announced plans to develop a walkway around Nirala Dighi and replace Kalpataru Market in Daulatpur with a mini-stadium.