Effat sania Nancy, Khulna 

A workshop titled "Collaborative Platform for Environmental Service Management" was held this morning at the GIZ Auditorium of Khulna City Corporation (KCC) on Tuesday. 

 The event was organized under the “Liveable and Inclusive Cities for All (LICA)” project, jointly implemented by KCC, the Local Government Division, the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED), and the German development agency GIZ Bangladesh.

Sharif Asif Rahman, Acting Chief Executive Officer of KCC, attended the event as the chief guest. In his speech, he emphasized that increasing migration towards urban areas—especially from coastal regions affected by natural disasters and salinity—is creating mounting pressure on city infrastructure. He pointed out the growing issues of unplanned settlements, indiscriminate waste disposal in open spaces, and encroachment on water bodies, all of which threaten the environmental balance.

To tackle these challenges, he suggested incorporating lessons on water body conservation and urban greenery in primary education curricula and highlighted the importance of public awareness, drawing on best practices from developed countries.

Among other notable participants were Dr. Rumana Asad, Head of Architecture Discipline at Khulna University; SM Tafsirul Islam, Faculty of URP, Khulna University; Dr. Tushar Roy, Faculty of URP at KUET; Abir Ul Jobbar, Chief Planning Officer of KCC; and officials from Khulna Development Authority (KDA). Also present were Asif Ahmed, Program Officer at GIZ; Abu Muzaffar Mahmud, Urban Regional Advisor of GIZ; Atiar Rahman, Project Officer; along with representatives from various government and non-government organizations.

Participants stressed the need to identify pressing urban environmental management and service-related issues and develop a strategic framework to address them. They expressed hope that this platform would play a vital role in Khulna’s sustainable urban development, environmental protection, and public engagement.