The fear of temperature raises the question of what the work of the Chief Heat Officer of Dhaka City Corporation actually is. There are many types of campaigns going on in the social media.
Dhaka’s chief heat officer Bushra Afrin’s statement about the recent heat has gone viral and is drawing a storm of criticism.
Many people say that Dhaka North City Corporation Mayor Atiqul Islam appointed his daughter Bushra Afrin to the post of hit officer, but nothing is clear about the procedure of this post. Bushra Afrin was appointed as Chief Heat Officer last year. After being appointed to this post, many questions are raised in the mind of the general public about his responsibilities.
North City Corporation sources said that there is no post of Chief Heat Officer in North City. The activities of the HIT Officer and the activities of North City Corporation are different.
A year has already passed since Bushra took charge, but his work as a hit officer has not yielded any visible results. In the minds of the people of Dhaka who suffered from the unbearable heatwave this year, questions have already started to arise about his responsibility as a heat officer, his appointment to this post and the effectiveness of this post.
Like many big cities in the world, Dhaka has been setting records in recent years in terms of temperature. And to solve this global problem, US-based organization Arshot-Rock and Extreme Heat Resilience Alliance (EHRA) have been working since 2021. EHRA has started pilot projects in some continents of the world to reduce the temperature. The UN-affiliated organization created the world’s first Chief Hit Officer position and appointed him to the pilot project. Bushra Afrin was appointed last year in this position in Bangladesh as well. She is the daughter of Mayor Atiqul Islam. Uttar City Corporation is implementing this project in Dhaka.
Chief heat officer Bushra Afrin said, drink more water to avoid heat. Wear loose clothing and try to stay in the shade as much as possible. If you feel sick, you should rest, and if you feel worse, you should go to the doctor. He also said that the city corporation is trying its best to improve drinking water supply. At the same time efforts are being made to arrange ‘cooling spaces’ so that pedestrians can rest. We must plant more trees and come up with eco-friendly infrastructure.
He said, we have taken several significant steps in the last one year. One of these is to increase public awareness in slum areas. Because, they are one of the most vulnerable population. They have been involved by planting trees in these places and maintaining these trees. Apart from this, we are going to launch various activities in association with several public and private organizations and NGOs including the Department of Meteorology. We are going to create ‘Nagar Forest’ as a pilot project in Kalyanpur and Banani. Which will simultaneously provide cooling, prevent air pollution and improve soil quality.
Heat officers primarily work to reduce the risk and impact of extreme heat by expediting heat protection activities for city residents. Along with this, they coordinate various government and private measures to keep the temperature bearable. These officers follow various measures like tree plantation program to reduce the temperature in the city. They also work to raise awareness among colleagues about extreme heat risks and solutions, identify communities and neighborhoods that are most vulnerable to extreme heat, plan for heat waves and take science-based measures to combat heat. Heat officers are responsible for coordinating with stakeholders, implementing long-term heat risk mitigation and cooling projects.
Chief Heat Officers are usually appointed through local officials. HIT officers are recruited in accordance with Arshot-Rock’s recruitment process. The organization is appointing a HEAT officer in each continent. Chief Heat Officers have been appointed in six continents so far. Outside Dhaka, Chief Heat Officers have been appointed in Los Angeles, Miami, Melbourne, Athens and Freetown. One of them is Eleni Myrivili. He serves as the Chief Heat Officer of Athens. He is working to reduce temperature both locally and globally.
Jane Gilbert has been appointed as Arshot-Rock’s Chief Heat Officer in Miami-Dade County, USA. He has over 30 years of experience in public-private partnerships, climate disaster mitigation and adaptation, and city resilience. He is increasing green space in the city and creating awareness among locals about heat waves. The Chief Heat Officer for the African continent is Eugenia Kargbo. He is appointed as the Chief Hit Officer of Arshot-Rock in the country’s Freetown. He is playing an important role in reducing the temperature of the city. He identified the problems the city of Freetown is facing due to urbanization. For this reason, he is finding creative solutions to reduce the city’s temperature and protect vulnerable residents.
On the other hand, the first hit officer in Bangladesh is Bushra Afrin. Bushra is the first Chief Heat Officer not only of Dhaka but also of the Asian continent. As such, there is an expectation from him to the people who are victims of excessive heat waves in other Asian countries. But while the heat officers of other countries are trying to give relief to the residents by taking exceptional measures like cool pavements, planting trees and making canopies, the people of Dhaka are still looking forward to Busha Afrin. Even in the last one year, no activity of him is visible. As a result, aware citizens are always discussing this through various channels.
Bangladesh Time: 0817 hours, April 26, 2024
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