US, UK govts co-fund project to reduce river pollution in Dhaka

An anti-pollution advocacy project called "Promoting Democratic Governance and Collective Advocacy for Environmental Protection in Dhaka City", developed by Waterkeepers Bangladesh Consortium in collaboration with Counterpart International has been launched recently.   

The project is co-funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the UK's Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), read a press release. 

The project is designed to advocate for clean Dhaka rivers by working with the Dhaka North and South City Corporations, Savar, Keraniganj, and Gazipur neighbourhoods.

Through the $297,000 USAID grant, Waterkeepers Bangladesh (WKB) will implement a robust advocacy initiative to monitor and control Dhaka City water, air, and noise quality. 

The WKB consortium will collaborate with key government, civil society organisations, universities, private sector corporations, and other stakeholders to improve the environment and quality of life in Dhaka.

US Embassy Dhaka Deputy Chief of Mission JoAnne Wagner, Dr Gowher Rizvi, foreign affairs adviser to the Prime Minister, Atiqul Islam, mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation and Habibun Nahar, deputy minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, participated in the launching ceremony among others. 

The US government, through USAID only, has provided more than $8 billion in development assistance to Bangladesh since 1971.  

In 2020, USAID alone provided over $200 million to improve the lives of people in Bangladesh through programs that expand food security and economic opportunity, improve health and education, promote democratic institutions and practices, protect the environment, and increase resilience to climate change.