Denmark to provide Tk37cr in rainwater harvesting project in Mongla
More than 60% of inhabitants in Mongla have no access to safe drinking water and are suffering from health and income loss
The Danish embassy in Bangladesh will provide 29 million Danish krone, or roughly Tk37 crore, over three years of a rainwater harvesting project period to reach 67,300 climate-vulnerable people in Mongla upazila in Bagerhat with access to safe drinking water.
Brac signed a memorandum of understanding with the Embassy of Denmark in Bangladesh on Thursday at the Danish ambassador's residence to implement the project titled "Enhancing Safe Drinking Water Security and Climate Resilience through Rainwater Harvesting", read a press release.
Mongla is one of the most climate-vulnerable areas in Bangladesh, particularly in terms of salinity intrusion. More than 60% of its inhabitants have no access to safe drinking water and are suffering from health and income loss. Women and girls are disproportionately affected due to the overburden of domestic work and social insecurity.
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At the signing ceremony, Winnie Estrup Petersen, ambassador of Denmark to Bangladesh, said, "We are very happy to take this step to deliver on the talks of COP 26. By 2023, Denmark will provide at least $500 million per year globally in grant-based climate finance.
Bangladesh is amongst the world's most climate-vulnerable countries and should of course benefit from our strong climate commitment."
This partnership signals the first of several Danish commitments to climate adaptation and mitigation programmes for Bangladesh starting 2022, she added.
Highlighting the importance of adapting climate-adaptive measures for the people of the coastal belt of Bangladesh, Brac Executive Director Asif Saleh said no one should walk two km to fetch drinking water. However, climate change is driving an acute drinking water crisis in coastal Bangladesh.
"Brac has been working persistently to ensure this basic human right of getting safe drinking water. We appreciate very much the support of the Embassy of Denmark in this endeavour. Together we will work towards developing a holistic and sustainable model of providing water at the last mile for every single Bangladeshi," Asif Saleh added.
The project's goal is to improve the wellbeing of the most climate-vulnerable population of the upazila by creating access to a nearby source of safe drinking water, a solution that can be replicated in other similar localities.
In line with the Danish Development Strategy "The World We Share", the project will enhance climate resilience following a community-centric locally-led approach, while coordinating with the government and other non-governmental actors.
