DHAKA: British High Commissioner Robert W Gibson, French Chargé Babou Kamichetty and German Chargé Dr Ferdinand von Weyhe on Monday visited three climate adaptation projects in Dhamrai, outskirt of the capital, to highlight their joint climate diplomacy.

They saw for themselves the impact climate change is already having here in Bangladesh and British initiatives, German initiatives and French Initiatives through French Development Agency (AFD) to helping Bangladesh adapt to climate change and protect the lives and livelihoods of 15 million vulnerable Bangladeshis, increasing their resilience and improving their ability to respond and recover from natural disasters through improved early warning systems.

German Embassy, the British High Commission and the French Embassy in Dhaka jointly issued a press release in this connection.

The projects visited were a Solar Home System for those without access to the national electricity grid, Solar Irrigation Systems that provide an environmentally friendly solution to food security in Bangladesh’s agro-based economy, and a Domestic Biogas and Manure National Programme providing gas for cooking.

Gibson said, “The projects we saw today, funded by UK aid, Germany and others, are helping some of the most vulnerable people in Bangladesh to adapt to the impacts of climate change.”

The release highlighted three programs -- Solar Home Systems, Solar Irrigation and National Domestic Biogas and Manure that are being run by assistances from UK, Germany and France.

The release said German development co-operation, through KfW, is supporting 850,000 units and UK aid is funding 3 million 30 watt solar home systems in areas of Bangladesh not covered by the national electricity grid, providing households with electrical light after sunset as well as energy to charge mobile phones and watch television.

It also said, “The extra hours of light allow those who can work from home, such as by sewing, to earn extra money and provide added security.  Each day the systems save about 1.2 million litres of kerosene (commonly used in lamps).”
 
The release further said, “Solar Irrigation Systems are an innovative as well as environmentally friendly solution for the agro-based economy of Bangladesh, irrigating areas beyond the national electricity grid yet without using fossil fuel.  Infrastructure Development Company Limited (IDCOL) will fund 1,550 solar irrigation pumps by 2017, with support from UK aid, German development co-operation and other development organisations.  So far 57 pumps have been installed, saving annually about 130,000 litres of diesel and reducing CO2 emissions by 30 tons.”

It also said, “National Domestic Biogas and Manure programme, run by IDCOL since 2006, is supported by Germany’s KfW, as well as SNV Netherlands Development Organization and now also the World Bank.”

It added: “It has installed over 31,000 biogas units so far.  The biogas is used for cooking and has made a significant impact in both preventing local deforestation and reducing indoor pollution.  The slurry, a by-product of biogas, is a good quality organic fertilizer.”

BDST: 1712 HRS, SEP 08, 2014