A Knowledge Coproduction Workshop for an Equitable Healthy Dhaka City
Pathways to equitable, healthy cities is a global partnership that aims to improve population health, enhance health equity and ensure environmental sustainability in cities worldwide through the co-production of rigorous evidence with policy and civil society partners across six different cities in five countries (UK, China, Ghana, Canada and Bangladesh). Welcome Trust, UK has funded the project “Pathways to Equitable Healthy Cities”, and Imperial College is the Global Lead for the partnership that envisions healthy cities for all.
One of the project's main objectives is to develop and refine relevant sectoral policy scenarios in knowledge co-production. This is done through a systematic and iterative process of multi-partner engagement to identify actionable technical and policy options for equitable, sustainable, and healthy urban development in cities like Dhaka.
In this regard, BRAC JPGSPH held three days series of knowledge co-production workshops on Ambient Lighting, Air and Noise Pollution and Gendered Accessibility and Transport on the 27th,
28th and 29th of September, 2022,respectively, to jointly develop an action plan for co-producing knowledge on these issues, create and support existing links across institutions, researchers, and partners and identify and develop concrete opportunities for future scenarios in these three areas that align local issues and priorities with Pathways research, modeling and policy scenario planning.
Researchers, senior policymakers, and stakeholders from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), Urban Development Directorate (UDD), BENGAL Institute for Architecture, Landscape, and Settlements, Bangladesh Institute of Planners, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICCDRB), Dhaka South City Corporation, and House Building Research Institute (Ministry of Housing and Public Works) attended the workshop on September 27th to discuss the ambient lighting issue in Dhaka city. They mostly talked about urban design and public health, which includes physical, mental, and social health. They advocated for high-quality, well-lit energy-efficient structures, natural park accessibility, walkability, and cycling in this compact Dhaka city, which is likely to become bigger and more compact. The new areas for development can be of high quality, including healthy lighting conditions. And for all this, we need to convince the key policymakers, especially RAJUK, to implement the existing guidance and take the necessary steps.
Experts also highlighted that adequate indoor lighting in houses and workplaces improves mental health and that people link low light with low mood. Moreover, they also accentuated that collaboration at the study's outset may have a more significant impact.
The Bengal Institute of Architecture and House Building Research Institute concentrated mainly on Policy Guidance and Activism. They advocated creating and exhibiting guidelines based on deep research. They also emphasized public awareness and advocated for innovative strategies
for existing congested areas and new plans for new wards included in the city corporation. The stakeholders also indicated a lack of policies for policy implementation.
On September 28th, at our second co-production workshop, the stakeholders emphasized that we got a rule instead of an act that is not entirely applicable in the current situation and that the act includes penalties, but the rules do not. Senior-level policymakers and researchers from the South City Corporation, RAJUK, Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), Bangladesh Meteorological Department, Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA), Bangladesh Youth Environmental Initiative, Health Service Department, Civil Surgeon office Dhaka, Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA) and Dhaka University gathered to discuss and address the issues and concerns of Air and Noise Pollution in Dhaka City and recommended a few solutions to those problems.
Vehicles, Construction Sites, Solid Waste, Brick kilns, High volume music, concert, miking public gatherings were identified as the major sources of air and noise pollution. The stakeholders suggested that standardizing the vehicle and fuel, maintaining proper fitness, introducing noise barriers, following the existing rules, ensuring construction-related training, working during the day, following the building codes, proper waste management, using building blocks and most importantly, raising awareness and perceptions of the people might help reduce the pollution.
The researchers and stakeholders also shed light on policy issues and concerns. They suggested controlling the vehicle limit, good practice of implementing penalties, separate lanes for motor
vehicles and rickshaws, policies for car control, encouraging public transport and bicycling, developing walkable footpaths, planning and implementing noise barriers, creating open space and water bodies, strong monitoring government body and raising awareness among the people.
Andrio Drong, Deputy Secretary of the Environmental Pollution Control-1 Branch of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, suggested introducing Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the traffic management system to control noise pollution. He also emphasized that collaboration between Government Organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) is necessary. Authorities must work together to coordinate and cooperate.
They also emphasised further research on quantifying health impact and economic burden and on youth and student-based activism. Sadly, they also stated that the clean air act could not be passed because of influential business people.
The transport experts and high-level policymakers from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Dhaka, Capital Development Authority (RAJUK), Dhaka South City Corporation, DTCA, Bangladesh Jatra Kallyan Samity, Dhaka MRT Development Project, BRT (Gazipur to Airport), DMTCN, PWAB and BRTA on September 29th discussed the major issues and concerns regarding gendered accessibility and transport in Dhaka City. The key concerns were the lack of
availability of women-friendly public transportation, lack of safety and security for women, and lack of gender responsiveness in terms of seating arrangements on buses.There are policies in place in Bangladesh, but changing people's mindsets and attitudes was also important to support the policies. Increasing the number of public transports for women, recruitment of women drivers, enforcement of laws against sexual harassment and proper monitoring of their implementation, and ensuring a complaint system and its effective implementation can ensure the security and safety of women on public transport.
The experts suggested that researchers reach out to the general public and practitioners in designing research for developing useful interventions.
Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman, Chairperson of BRAC's Governing Body, presided over the final session of the knowledge co-production workshop series on 29thSeptember. The event's chief guest was Professor Saleemul Huq, OBE, Director of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development. Six Additional Secretaries from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Local Government Division, the Ministry of Environment and Forest, Ministry of Road Transport & Bridges attended the event as special guests. The experts at the event emphasized the need to change mindsets and provide students with humanities education early on to help them develop as responsible citizens.
Dr Ashrafi Ahmad, additional secretary of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, said Dhaka's pollution had reached inconceivable levels, and the government was doing all possible
to enforce all laws and rules. Still, nothing will change if the issues are not addressed at the individual level.
Neelima Akhter, additional secretary of the Road Transport and Bridges Ministry, noted that the government is attempting to provide transport to accommodate all passengers. However, it alone would not be sufficient to solve all of the difficulties. She stated that there were issues everywhere, including the transportation sector, but everyone should work together with the government to help develop effective solutions.
Md Mizanur Rahman, additional secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, stated that his office receives between 20 and 30 complaints daily from around the country. Even still, whenever the government attempted to execute something vital, he faced difficulties and opposition. “There are several protests whenever I try to do something”, he stated.
Prof Saleemul Huq urged the need to engage potential users, especially policymakers, in research to identify effective solutions. "Long lists of problems will not fix anything. Instead of identifying and researching an issue; researchers should concentrate on addressing it ", He stated.
The key problem is managing fallouts effectively, said Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman. He emphasised the need for advancement through innovation and creativity and encouraged taking small
innovations and bold steps. He underlined the necessity to evaluate which solutions require time and research information to implement appropriate measures and interventions. He proposed an incremental solution and encouraged becoming an opportunist who knows when and how to take appropriate measures. Finding solutions will now help society and the country’s real progress.
Writers:
Sabrina Mustabin Jaigirdar
Assistant Research Coordinator
BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health, BRAC University
Zahidul Quayyum, PhD.
Professor (Health Economics) and Director Research.
Co-Director Centre of Excellence for Urban Equity and Health (CUEH)
BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health, BRAC University