"Kamal Parvez"

Mohammad Azaz is an applied researcher, urban policy advocate, and environmental organizer

dedicated to co-producing fair and sustainable cities and regions. With over two decades of

experience in local governance, urban development, and environmental restoration, he has been at the forefront of initiatives that integrate community participation with urban and ecological transformation.

Azaz completed an MBA in International Business and a Master's in Development Studies. After a decade of career as a university lecturer teaching economic policy, sustainable development, and international trade at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, he shifted his focus to social transformation and environmental issues in Bangladesh.

Azaz’s pathbreaking research has been instrumental in reshaping urban and regional water governance, particularly through his knowledge leadership in the conservation of Dhaka’s rivers, canals, and wetlands. As the founder of the River and Delta Research Centre (RDRC), he has spearheaded groundbreaking research and advocacy projects focused on restoring urban water bodies, ensuring equitable access to natural resources, and challenging the structural injustices embedded in city planning.

Azaz’s works reveal close understanding of colonial models of resource governance in the Bengal Delta. The actionable knowledge production under the RDRC umbrella reflects Azaz’s striving for social-ecological decolonization through research, activism, and advocacy. His landmark projects include the Dhaka Rivers and the Baseline Survey on the Rivers of Dhaka Division, which provided valuable insights into the degradation of urban water systems and laid the foundation for policy reforms. He led the Canals and Waterbodies of Dhaka City project, which mapped and documented the city's neglected waterways, advocating for their revival as essential components of Dhaka’s urban ecosystem. He also conducted a pathbreaking study about the defensive and strategic role of rivers in Bangladesh’s National Liberation War 1971.

As part of an international consortium, Azaz co-conceived the ReWET Initiative, an urban wetland restoration program that bridges ecological regeneration with social justice for climateimpacted urban dwellers. Under this pioneering climate-just initiative that moves beyond beautification paradigm of lake restoration, he is leading efforts to restore Dhaka’s GulshanBanani Lake, working

alongside marginalized local communities to co-create an agroecological model for participatory lake restoration in densely urbanized environments. In another community-engaged transformative initiative, Riverine Urbanism, Azaz documented the impacts of industrial pollution on urban fishing communities, highlighted the socio-economic realities of river-dependent marginalized urban communities in Turag catchment areas. Through this socially-engaged research, Azaz advocated for fishing communities’ social inclusion, and reimagined fisherfolk as urban river stewards struggling against displacement and degradation.

He has formerly served as the director of Riverine People, a civic organization. During this time,

Azaz played a key role in establishing grassroots networks and associations advocating for

conservation across the eastern Bengal Delta. He was a pioneer in setting up youth-led River

Conservation Clubs (RCC) in universities. He is the co-founder and vice president of the GBM

Basin People’s Network, a network of local communities across the Ganges-BrahmaputraMeghna basin. Through this, Azaz has been providing strategic trainings on transboundary river issues to organizations in the region.Azaz’s expertise encompasses broader urban justice issues. Through the Just Urban platform, Azaz developed a visionary proposal for fair urban transitions, ensuring that Bangladesh’s urbanization prioritizes social equity, climate resilience, and inclusive governance.

Beyond research and policy, Azaz is a committed public intellectual involved in diverse popular

education efforts. As the editor of Obobhahika, a Bangla journal on river research, and the host of

Dialogue with Mohammad Azaz, he actively engages with internationally recognized experts,

scholars, policymakers, and citizens to foster discussions and analyses on sustainable urban and ecological futures in Bangladesh and surrounding regions. Under his leadership, River File, an annual advocacy and policy tool, has published comprehensive reports on the country's polluted rivers and illegal sand extraction, and significantly shifted the public discourse around national water management. His writings and advocacy continue to critically influence policy debates in Bangladesh, shaping strategies for equitable city planning and water governance. As a geopolitical analyst, Azaz is a key contributor for Strategic Perspective & Risk Intelligence Group (SPRInG). Azaz’s leadership in capacity building, training, and strategic thinking has positioned him as well￾regarded mentor among environmental and river activists. At RDRC, Azaz continued his mentorship role and committed to raising the next generation of thinkers and researchers dedicated to bringing local knowledge and experiences from the Global South into national and global mainstream discourse.

As Dhaka North City Corporation Administrator, Mohammad Azaz envisions a city that is not

only economically vibrant but also ecologically resilient, culturally plural, and socially just. His

leadership is committed to integrating urban nature with development, strengthening participatory governance, and ensuring that every citizen has access to clean water, green spaces, and dignified living conditions.

Writer : journalist and columnist.