Narayanganj recently ratified and approved its first-ever Climate Action Plan, signaling its collective commitment to take climate action locally and contribute to Bangladesh’s climate and sustainable development goals. The Climate Resilient City Action Plan (CRCAP) was formally adopted at the first general meeting of the city’s recently elected council, held on March 14, 2022, and presided over by the mayor and 27 ward councilors.

Narayanganj, a fast-urbanising city, is located on the banks of the rivers Shitalakshya and Buriganga. This industrial centre, located about 30 km from Dhaka, is famous for jute and textiles.

The CRCAP identifies 24 climate interventions across nine sectors, to help the city reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and better adapt to climate change. Through the implementation of the proposed interventions, Narayanganj can reduce its annual GHG emissions by 12.6% by 2026-27 over its 2018-19 baseline.

The CRCAP is a result of the city’s intent to steer its industrial and socio-economic growth to transition to a low-emission, green, and inclusive urban economy. The Urban LEDS-II project, funded by the European Commission, supported the Narayanganj City Corporation (NCC) in its endeavour to understand and effectively respond to climate change impacts experienced locally, such as rising temperatures, by helping the city develop its CRCAP.

The NCC and its Climate Core Team worked closely with ICLEI South Asia to lead the preparation of the Action Plan. The development of the CRCAP was guided by the ClimateResilientCITIES methodology, a stepwise approach developed by ICLEI South Asia to support local governments in the planning, implementation, and monitoring of climate action. The climate resilience interventions included in the CRCAP are suitably informed by Narayanganj’s city-wide baseline GHG emissions inventory and an assessment of its climate risk and vulnerabilities.

Dr. Salina Hayat Ivy, Honorable Mayor of NCC, noted, “There is an urgent need for decisive actions on urban governance, technology, data, and innovation in the city. Narayanganj’s CRCAP provides a comprehensive assessment of urban issues, GHG emissions from urban activities and services, impacts of climate change on urban infrastructure, and suggests potential strategies and actions to increase urban climate resilience.” She added that the plan will also help to reduce environmental pollution and promote “Blue Urbanism”.

While developing the action plan, Narayanganj also implemented pilot solutions on rooftop solar PV systems in its public and healthcare buildings and sensors for monitoring air quality, with the support of the Urban LEDS-II project that was implemented by UN-Habitat and ICLEI South Asia from 2017 to 2021. The CRCAP provides a framework for Narayanganj to integrate climate considerations into its urban development path and infrastructure. NCC is committed to implementing the interventions proposed in the action plan and realise its climate goals and is seeking support from development partners and financial institutions to this end.