Category: Allgemein

In May 2023, after two visits of German SCIP members in Bangladesh, three delegates of our implementing partners in Khulna and Chattogram are visiting Germany. Prof. Dr. Muhammed Alamgir and Prof. Dr. Md. Rafizul Islam, both Khulna University of Engineering and Technology and Prof. Dr. Mst. Farzana Rahman Zuthi from Chittagong University of Engineering and Technoilogy start their residence time in Weimar at Bauhaus-Universität Weimar meeting the local SCIP team under the lead of Prof. Dr.-Ing. Eckhard Kraft.

Apart from joint excursions, several project meetings and sightseeing the international guests are giving insights of their work to German students in environmental engineering. The delegation will also visit the Institute for Social-Ecological Research in Frankfurt.

As a student at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, I had the great opportunity to accompany the project work on site in Bangladesh in March as part of my bachelor thesis. I was particularly captivated by the work carried out at the KUET campus, as it fostered a close and direct interaction with the students and project staff. In this context, we were able to facilitate a waste sorting workshop, previously tested in Germany, which served as a foundation for data collection by the individual working groups.

The process of waste sorting comprises several steps of screening and subsequent sorting. Despite initial difficulties, the best possible implementation of waste sorting was found on-site and key aspects were comprehended. The workshop fostered practical collaboration and laid a solid groundwork for the project’s future progression.

On the 2^nd March 2023, the official inauguration of the newly established Awareness Centre was held at Khulna City Corporation Building (Nagar Bhaban). The occasion was graced by Mr. Talukder Abdul Khaleque, Mayor of KCC in Khulna, as the Chief Guest. The program commenced at 11:30 am, with Mr. Khaleque officially inaugurating the AWC by cutting the ribbon. SCIP members from KUET, ISOE and BUW were present to witness this significant milestone in the project. The Awareness Centre is envisioned to serve as a potential exemplar for all other city corporations in Bangladesh, aiming to raise awareness among citizens regarding environmental issues by addressing plastic waste as a grave environmental threat.

As an official event, the WasteSafe played a pivotal role in bringing back the German SCIP members to Bangladesh. However, the project has witnessed significant advancements both before and after the WasteSafe event held on February 25^th and 26^th. In addition to the official proceedings, the project team conducted a series of collaborative activities and field visits. Team-building activities, such as workshops on a boat in the Sundarbans following the World Café approach, and various field visits to recycling shops, landfills, and jute factories, have contributed significantly to the further development of the project.

A considerable number of SCIP team members present their work at the 8^th WasteSafe International Conference on Integrated Solid Waste & Faecal Sludge Management. Members of the projects different working groups show and discuss recent progress and issues within the scope of the SCIP project.

More about WasteSafe

In order to create mass awareness about the adverse impacts of plastic pollution on the environment along with drawing attention to research activities to find alternative solutions that reduce plastic use, CUET SCIP plastics project team arranged a round table seminar at hotel Peninsula, Chattogram on 14^th november 2022. Md. Rezaul Karim, honorable mayor of Chattogram City, graced the program as chief guest, and vice chancellor of CUET Prof. Dr. Mohammad Rafiqul Alam, member of UGC and Scientific expert Prof. Dr. Muhammed Alamgir attended as special guests. The honorable guests shared their key note speech, governing body of SCIP Plastics Project team officials, funding agency of the project & other stakeholder discussed in detailed information related to the project & seminar.

Representatives of the project team of Bauhaus-Universität Weimar and Institute for Social-Ecological Research went on the kick-off trip to Bangladesh at the end of September. The main purpose was the official kick-off meeting with institutional and political partners at the large auditorium of Khulna University of Engineering and Technology on September 24^th where the different local project teams finally met physically.

In the following days, the project delegation met with the various implementing and political partners in the region around Khulna to consolidate cooperation and coordinate the further course of the project.

Joint excursions and workshops gave the international project partners the opportunity to get to know each other better and to intensively extend the work in the working groups on site, which up to now has mainly been coordinated online. Part of the project team from Weimar then continued their journey to Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology to take part in official SCIP Plastics kick-off events and meet local partners.

On 22^nd August 2022, Department of Civil Engineering, CUET inaugurated the SCIP Plastics Project’s office in the presence of vice-chancellor Prof. Dr. Mohammad Rafiqul Alam who attended the program as the chief guest, along with special guests’ faculty of Civil Engineering’s dean Prof. Dr. Md Mainul Islam and head Prof. Dr. Asiful Haque. During the program, Prof. Dr. Farzana Rahman Zuthi, Scientific director and Prof. Dr. Sudeep Kumar Pal, scientific expert discuss about the project objectives and outcomes to the audience. SCIP members from BUW, KUET, and ISOE were connected to this program via online. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Eckhard Kraft, George Biastoch, Prof. Dr. Muhammed Alamgir, Prof. Dr. Md. Rafizul Islam and Abir Ul Jabbar sent their special video messages for the program.

Today, a significant milestone has been achieved. The project consortium has officially formed itself as a managing body known as the Board of Directors. The consortium includes the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, the Institute for Social Ecological Research, the Kuet University of Engineering, the Chittagong University of Engineering, and the Khulna City Corporation. Together, they constitute a comprehensive entity that not only oversees and guides the technical direction of the developed content but also represents these contents externally. This approach establishes a professional authority within the project framework, assuming the role of the primary contact for the knowledge transfer hubs. The board convenes every six months to deliberate, evaluate, and make decisions concerning the SCIP Plastics project and the expansion of the Knowledge Transfer Hub’s waste management expertise.

The members of the Board of Directors are:

Project Lead:

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Eckhard Kraft, Bauhaus-Universität Weimar

Prof. Dr. Md. Rafizul Islam, Khulna University of Engineering & Technology

Prof. Dr. Mst Farzana Rahman Zuthi, Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology

Mr. Abir Ul Jabbar, Khulna City Corporation

Supervisory Board:

Prof. Dr. Muhammed Alamgir, Khulna University of Engineering & Technology

Prof. Dr. Quazi Hamidul Bari, Khulna University of Engineering & Technology

Prof. Dr. Kh. Mahbub Hassan, Khulna University of Engineering & Technology

Prof. Dr. Asiful Hoque, Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology

Prof. Dr. Sudip Kumar Pal, Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology

Ms. Nurunnahar Anne, Khulna City Corporation

The project teams in KUET, CUET and KCC are filling with life and the working groups are being formed. Today ther first all hands meeting of all the new and familiar faces involved in the project took place. Preparations are underway, soon the working groups will be confirmed and the Board of Directors will be constituted. An exciting and challenging task waits and to work with such a large team of motivated people is delighting. The meeting today created a sense of confidence, and the forthcoming inaugural assembly in Bangladesh is eagerly anticipated. Welcome on Bord, everyone!