A major international research initiative has been launched at Dhaka University to identify the growing health risks posed by urban heatwaves and to develop evidence‑based policies for climate‑resilient city planning.
The project aims to map hidden heat‑driven health disparities across Dhaka one of the world’s fastest‑warming megacities and provide scientific guidance for future urban development.
Vice‑Chancellor Prof ABM Obaidul Islam inaugurated the programme on Monday afternoon at the VC’s Conference Room, calling it a crucial step toward understanding how extreme heat affects vulnerable communities. The project, titled “Exposing Hidden Heat: Mapping Heat‑Driven Health Disparities and Advancing Policy Implications for Climate‑Resilient Urban Development in Dhaka, Bangladesh,” is funded by the Wellcome Trust.
The collaboration brings together Dhaka University, BUET, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, and the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center. Researchers from all institutions stressed that only interdisciplinary work can fully capture the
Researchers from all institutions stressed that only interdisciplinary work can fully capture the complex relationship between climate change, urban design and public health.
Senior DU officials including Deputy Vice‑Chancellors Prof Abdus Salam and Prof Mohammad Almojaddidi Alfesani, Treasurer Prof M Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, and Earth and Environmental Sciences Dean Prof Md Humayun Kabir attended as special guests, underscoring the university’s commitment to climate research.
Department of Meteorology Chairman Rabiul Awal delivered the welcome speech, followed by a detailed presentation outlining the project’s objectives, research framework and expected outcomes. The initiative is expected to generate critical data to help policymakers design safer, more resilient urban environments as heatwaves intensify across Bangladesh.
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