Reducing Heat Impacts in Rajshahi City, Bangladesh

The purpose of this policy brief is to suggest actions that might be taken by Rajshahi City in Bangladesh to improve resilience and preparedness around extreme heat events in the future. These actions are often aligned with existing policies, as reviewed by this brief, and integrated with the existing structures of governance in Rajshahi. Based on the review of existing policies and the risks associated with heatwaves in Rajshahi, short-term and long-term strategies are proposed based on desk research, interviews with key local stakeholders and consultations with disaster risk management and health officials in Rajshahi City. These policies are designed to provide Rajshahi officials with actions to respond to acute heatwave events when they occur, while building resilience against increasing heat stress in the future.