German envoy advises long term urban planning

German Ambassador in Dhaka Dr Thomas Prinz yesterday called for a sophisticated and long-term urban planning based on reliable data for it is essential to manage the inflow of people into Bangladesh's metropolis.

"Urbanisation is one of the megatrends of this century. More and more people are moving to cities searching for job opportunities or adjusting to the impacts of climate change in rural Bangladesh," he said.

"Dhaka is one of the fastest growing cities in the world," he added while visiting the capital's Geological Survey of Bangladesh (GSB) which conducts systematic geological mapping and geoscientific activities.

GSB is supported by German development cooperation funds provided by Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe (BGR) or the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources based in Hanover, says a German embassy press release.

Initiated in 2013, the joint German-Bangladeshi project, "Geo-Information for Urban Planning", is scheduled to be finalised in 2016. So far, the geoscientific sub-ground conditions in Bangladesh have been analysed and currently work is centred around an "Infrastructure Suitability Map" of Dhaka that will help transform the capital into a more sustainable, accessible and liveable city.