Staff Correspondent

Amid the ongoing intolerable heat wave, Bushra Afreen, chief heat officer of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), has been criticised on social media in various ways for her salient role in addressing the climate impact in the city area.

Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Centre (Arsht-Rock), an international organisation working on climate change, selected Bushra, over a year ago.

Bushra Afreen, daughter of DNCC Mayor Atiqul Islam, has been appointed Bangladesh’s first chief heat officer for the post to work in the city areas to help tackle climate change risks.

Following her recruitment, a rumour went on in the social media that the DNCC mayor has created the new position specifically for his daughter.

In the face of the criticism, the DNCC clarified the media that the chief heat officer is not a position affiliated with the city mayor rather Bushra is an official of Arsht-Rock.

In the wake of the same criticism, DNCC Mayor Atiqul Islam today said that Chief Heat Officer Bushra Afreen does not receive her salaries from the city corporation.

The DNCC mayor said this while talking to reporters after inspecting the water spray activities to prevent air pollution and keep the city cool during the intense heat in the capital’s Agargaon area this noon.

“I've noticed in various media that the chief heat officer is receiving salaries from the city corporation. It is not true. She doesn't receive any payment from the city corporation and doesn't even have a designated workspace at the corporation office,” he said.

In response to a query, he said, “The chief heat officer is helping us share her plan. However, as an individual, she cannot execute tasks herself. We are implementing her suggestions to ensure people’s relief from the extreme heat weather.”