Reza Mahmud :
Causes of waterloggings still remain present in the capital Dhaka though the two city corporations tried to remove it, experts said.
According to the urban specialists, about 20 percent to 30 pc lands of the total city areas should be kept open. It should not be carpetted.
They said that such open lands used to suck about 50 pc of water from rainfall so that the water logging would not take place any more.
The urban planners said also that there are huge unplanned activities of urbanisations have taken place in the capital and beyond.
They said that there are less open spaces, and insufficient wet lands in and surrounding the city causes huge threat of water loggings.
Meanwhile, officials of the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) and Dhaka North City Corporation claimed that they have done enough to prevent water logging during the rainy season.
When contacted, Farid Ahmed, Chief Executive Officer of DSCC told The New Nation, “We have evacuated about 70.4 kilometers of canals from the grabbers and made that clear so that water can flow adequately.”
The CEO said that DSCC has completed clearing 100 out of 126 identified water stagnant points in its jurisdiction.
He said that DSCC has ensured 95 percent of its short term activities for removing water loggings.
The rest work of long term activities including evacuating of all canals are under process, he added.
“We are trying to make connection of major canals with the river Buriganga so that rain water can flow sharply and the city dwellers can get rid of from water loggings,” he said.
When contacted, Md. Sharif Uddin, Additional Chief Engineer (In Charge), of DNCC, told The New Nation, “We are trying our best to make the 29 canals completely clean so that rain water can drive out sharply.”
He said that about 80 percent water logging problems from Mirpur-10 had been resolved.
Water logging problem in Karwanbazar, Moghbazar, Modhubagh areas, Uttara Sector-4 and such others are nearly resolved, he claimed.
The DNCC Additional Chief Engineer also said that the corporation already has handed over responsibilities of fixing boundary of all of its canals to Bangladesh Army.
“The DNCC has made a 50 years plan of re-excavation and other longtime activities after finalising the boundaries of the canals,” the Additional Chief Engineer said. Meanwhile, experts said that the measures taken by the both city corporations are sufficient to prevent water loggings in case of small and moderate rain.
But, they said, in case of heavy rain, which is mostly probable in the upcoming rainy season, the city people may not get rid of the untold sufferings of water loggings.
Dr. Adil Mohammad Khan, General Secretary of Bangladesh Institute Planners told The New Nation, “It is true that the both city corporations have started well of cleaning the canals after handed over those to them by the Dhaka Wasa. But only drain and canals would not be able to drive out water in case of heavy rainfall during the rainy season.”
He said there are lacks of adequate open spaces but most of the previous play grounds and green lands disappeared under carpeting concretes floors.
“The 20 to 30 pc of open lands can contain and absorb about 50 pc of rain water which is useful to prevent water logging in city streets. But, there is no such open spaces in the city which created huge risks of water logging during the heavy rainfall,” the expert said.
He said also that most of the wet lands surrounding Dhaka are being filled day by day by the housing businesses which also a big threat in this regard.
The Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (DWASA) on December 30 in 2020 handed over the responsibility of maintaining city canals and drainage systems of the city to the two city corporations.
The initiative was taken to make the city corporations enable to reduce the city’s waterlogging problem.
