Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Mayor Md. Atiqul Islam said, as per the suggestion of Chief Heat Officer (CHO) Bushra Afrin, work is going on to combat the heat.
She is a single person, he said, advising the chief heat officer. She will not implement the works. She gives advice, but the work is actually done by all of us. It is on his advice that we are doing these things to give relief to the people.
On Saturday (April 27), he said these things while inspecting DNCC's water spray (sprinkling water) program to prevent air pollution and keep the city cool during intense heat in Agargaon.
In response to a question about the appointment and salary allowance of Chief Hit Officer Bushra Afrin, he said, "I see that many people are talking about her for the past few days. She is getting salary from city corporation, actually it is not correct. She does not get a single taka from the city corporation. She doesn't even have any seat in the city corporation. But she has no chair.
Heat officers have been appointed by an organization based in the United States (Adrienne Arshot-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center (Arshot-Rock). They have appointed 7 chief heat officers around the world and all seven are women.
Earlier, at 11:30, the mayor Md. Atiqul Islam said at Syed Mahboob Morshed avenue Agargaon while visiting the special van kept for supply of clean drinking water and drank the water himself. Later, when artificial rain began to fall through the spray cannon, he joined the excited children and teenagers and shared the joy with them.
Later, the mayor talked to the journalists. Atiqul Islam said, two spray cannons that provide artificial rain will sprinkle water on the main road. As they are quite large, they cannot enter the street. Ten browsers will work to sprinkle water on the street. Through these the roads will be wet and kept cool. I have also directed the concerned department to arrange artificial rain like spray cannons in the parks of DNCC. In the next one week artificial rain will be arranged in the parks.
He said, on the advice of Chief Heat Officer (CHO) Bushra Afrin, we have taken the initiative of sprinkling water on roads and providing free drinking water to 54 wards of DNCC to relieve the people in the ongoing intense heat. Three special vans (with 500 liter water tanks) have been brought down in each ward to provide water to the pedestrians. The vans will move around the ward with clean drinking water. These vans are made in small size to fit into the alleys of the city. Pedestrians and working people should be able to drink water.
Calling the city dwellers, the mayor said, I have three appeals to the city dwellers in the current situation. 1, I request the shopkeepers, traders and owners association leaders of DNCC area to arrange a drum for drinking water in front of every shop, shopping mall, market. Everyone can drink water. 2, we planted 80 thousand trees last year. This year I will plant another 1 lakh 20 thousand trees. I request the people of the city to take care of these trees. The city corporation is taking care, besides the city residents will take care of the trees in front of their houses, in front of the shops. 3. This year, we started activities before dengue spread. Aedes mosquito season is starting. Everyone should keep their homes, offices, educational institutions and surroundings clean so that Aedes larvae do not grow.
DNCC Chief Executive Officer Mir Khairul Alam, Chief Health Officer Brigadier General Imrul Kayes Chowdhury, Chief Waste Management Officer Captain Mohammad Fida Hasan, 28 Ward Councilor Md. Forkan Hossain, reserved councilor Hamida Akhter (Mita) and others were present.