Urban experts, environmentalists, senior government officials related to the city planning, NGO representatives and city residents at the Roundtable discussion on “Waterlogging Makes Dhaka City Unlivable” spoke on reasons and way out of the problem.
The New Nation and Manik Mia Foundation jointly organised the function at the Conference Room of the Manik Mia Foundation at Ittefaq Babhan on Saturday. The speeches of the discussants were mentioned detail.
‘Highest pol commitment a must’
Professor Nazrul Islam
The former chairman of the University Grand Commission (UGC) emphasised on highest political commitment to safeguard the Dhaka city from waterlogging and other problems.
“Only highest political commitment can resolve the waterlogging problem.
The Prime Minister, the Cabinet Members and the high-ups of the government may start the initiative. Otherwise no one is capable to eliminate waterlooging in the city.”
He observed that a fruitful solution is not possible unless a coordinated effort is taken, bringing all of the agencies under a single umbrella.
He said that the newly elected two mayors of the Dhaka City Corporations (DCCs) are trying to mitigate the waterlogging problem with the participation of experts and other concerned.
But the high-ups of the government have no headache in this regard. Taskforce should be formed to end the problem.
But the city corporations don’t not have the authorities to end the problem through the task force. Prime Minister’s will is needed in this regard, he said.
He put emphasis on shouldering the responsibility of the specific department in a bid to eliminate waterlogging problem in capital city.
He also gave importance on accountability, empowerment, proper implementation of plan and project to get rid of the major civic problem.
The eminent city planner said, “If the Dhaka city survives, we can also survive.
If the city is destroyed the whole country will be crippled. About 40 per cent of the total GDP comes from the city. So the city must be saved.”
Prof Nazrul, also Chairman of the Centre for Urban Studies, said that there were huge development works in the city.
Sometimes the development works are mistake like hampering the water flow of Dholai Khal. Many city canals have been occupied by the many influential.
The Dhaka city authorities built box culverts in many parts of the city which plan was wrong and this is now a major reason of the waterlogging, he observed.
He said that the government has to take initiatives to dig new canals, restore the dead canals and protect the existing canals.
He suggested the mayors of the bifurcated Dhaka city corporation to take advice from the experts and go to the people for hearing their problems.
Prof Nazrul disclosed that the RAJUK has already completed a plan ‘2016-2035’ to develop the overall situation of the city.
It has also identified reasons and solution of waterlogging in the city. The plan will be published soon. He hoped that the waterlogging problem will be reduced if the RAJUK’s plan is implemented properly.
‘Authorities must work together to create awareness’
Barrister Mainul Hosein
The senior lawyer of the country and chairman of the editorial board of The New Nation Barrister Mainul Hosein at the beginning of the function welcomed the discussants of the roundtable.
He thanked the distinguished guests to take part in the function at the invitation of The New Nation and the Manik Mia Foundation.
In his speech, the adviser to the former caretaker government said that the waterlogging is a man-created problem, which makes the Dhaka city unlivable.
The problem has to be solved for building a livable city.
The New Nation and the Manik Mia Foundation are committed to play role in this regard from its own position.
From this aspect, the roundtable discussion has been organised to take suggestion from experts and concerned officials.
Mentioning his long-year experiences as an eyewitness of the city, he said, “We have been living in the city for very beginning when the problem was not such dangerous.
Now the problem of the waterlogging in the capital city has taken a serious turn.
The city becomes waterlogged even during a little rainfall,” he said.
“We hope that the government will pay more attention; and understand that efficient measures can tackle the issue of waterlogging in Dhaka City,” the eminent lawyer said.
The WDB, the DCCs and other agencies concerned may work together to create awareness among mass people for not throwing wastage here and there in the city roads that is ultimately logged inside the drains, Barrister Mainul Hosein said.
He called upon the city dwellers to be conscious about the bad impact of the waterlogging.
Giving example of Singapore, he said that if a system is developed by the authorities, the people of this country will be habituated here to throw wastages in certain place like Singapore.
Story of a bitter
experience
Sanjida Khanam MP
The ruling Awami League MP has underscored the need for making a coordinated effort of the WASA, the Water Development Board, the City Corporations and the RAJUK with a view to resolving the much voicing waterlogging problem in the city. “The coordinated initiative of the institutions can ensure a hassle free life of the city dwellers by removing the sufferings of water logging”, she said.
She said that there is no department to take responsibility to protect canals in the city. The WASA, the WDB and RAJUK blame each other. But the situation is unchanged.
“Some influential portions during the all governments occupied the canals and built multi-storeid buildings. The side land of the Buriganga, Shitalakhya and Turag have been captured by the influential person.
As a result, the water cannot run out swiftly in the rivers during the monsoon period. When ask them to remove their establishments from the illegal place they try to take shelter from their party. Even they sometimes build a mosque in front of their illegal building so that the government cannot destroy it. It is undesirable and shameful,” she said.
She called upon all the political parties, the non-government organisations and the civil society members to take proactive role for checking water logging problem from the city. “We all have to stand under a single umbrella to remove the city’s waterlogging trouble which makes the city unlivable”, she said.
She also said that unplanned city is mainly responsible for the waterlogging. Over population is one of the major problems for the city.
“We have to control the over population of the city for controlling problems like waterlogging and the traffic jam to ensure a peaceful city”, she said.
She stressed on the decentralisation of ministries, offices and institutions to check the flow of people in Dhaka.
She also suggested for raising awareness of the people to keep away from pollution of the city, which is blocking the total drainage system and water logging.
Saying that the normal water flow of the rivers can play in reducing city’s waterlogging, Sanjida Khanom said.
“It is very surprising that the vested group has built at least 30 mosques in front of the high rise building encrasing the land of rivers and cannels. So the authorities failed to demolish their property considering the religious sentiment of the people,” she said.
She stressed on the revival of the rivers and canals through destroying illegal buildings.
She raised question on the function of Water Development Board (WDB).
The institution is blaming the WASA for hiding their irresponsibility. She narrated on her bitter experience with WDB regarding the implementation of a project in her constituency. “I went door to door of the officials of Water Development Board and various authorities to implement the project, but it are still incomplete”, she claimed.
Sanjida Khanom feared that the situation of waterlogging problem would worsen further if effective measures are not taken now.
If the situation continues, the city will be completely unlivable after 10 years.
She attached importance on protecting the flood flow zones, water retention ponds, lakes, canals as earmarked in the capital’s detailed area plan, popularly known as DAP.
He also called for measures to keep rivers flowing and free from occupation.
‘Proper authorities’
Md Abul Kalam Azad
The Chief Engineer of Bangladesh Water Development Board (WDB) said that the WDB is committed to complete its work which government imposes on it.
He said that the Water Development Board does not work in the city.
It works outside the city. City mayors and WASA are the proper authorities to end the waterlogging problem, he said.
Ministry, WDB must
share responsibilities’
M Inamul Haque
The former Director General of Water Resources Planning Organisation (WARPO) said that the WASA, the RAJUK and the two city corporations of Dhaka don’t have the jurisdiction over all of maintenance related the waterlogging in the city.
The water ministry and the Water Development Board have the responsibility to make the Dhaka city free from waterlogging.
So the ministry and the WDB can’t avert their responsibility for city waterlogging.
The Dhaka WASA (Water Supply and Sewerage Authority) maintains 600 kilometres of drainage network and the district administration owns the lakes where the city corporation has nothing to do.
On the other hand, the WDB works on several other aspects.
‘Revise drainage system’
Md Fayezur Rahman Chowdhury
The former additional secretary of the home ministry said that extensive waterlogging and severe traffic jam during the monsoon are common scenario of Dhaka city. Most of the city roads become waterlogged when it rains hard.
Even moderate shower causes serious problems and creates waterlogging in the city.
He that the previous drainage system should be revived and some new drainage system has to build. But here is question that who is responsible for that. It should be specified.
‘Land grabbers
responsible’
Abu Naser Khan
Abu Naser Khan urged the government to identify the persons who were responsible for creating waterlogging in the city. A small number of people build buildings in line with the government’s instruction. The land grabbers are continuing their jobs to grab land. He demanded to arrest and bring them under justice who create waterlogging.
“The plan to develop the city was implemented for a few people only in the past. It is high time to think about the whole people of the city. Partial plan and thinking should be ignored,” he said.
He said that the encroachment is going on in the Buriganga, the Turag and the Balu rivers adjacent to the capital city. Buildings are being constructed occupying drains.
“Approval for land development was given to private organisations giving a damn to the DAP. The RAJUK itself is selling plots developing lands on flood flow zones, lakes and canals,” he said.
He criticised the Dhaka WASA for what he said, turning the city lakes into tunnels by erecting walls along with lakes. He feared all of the rest of the city lakes would be occupied one day given the measures the WASA has taken.
On the other hand, he added, land developers are occupying city lakes and canals one after another defying DAP’s land-use plan. “No matter whatever the plan you have in paper, it would come to no use if there is no political commitment. Showing respect to the law is an imperative here,” he opined
He said Dhaka is now an over population city. It cannot operate easily with huge people. The flow of the Dhaka-bound people must be stopped to make city free from waterlogging and other problems. Otherwise no plan will be fruitful.
‘Protect nature’
Gaous Pearee
The Director of the Work for a Better Bangladesh (WBB) Trust, said, “We do not expect and imagine any development work by siding the nature. All activities should be taken considering the nature and the ecology.”
She also said. “If we are not able to think for better livelihood for the citizens of Dhaka, we will not see the beautiful Dhaka along with Bangladesh.
The policy makers should have the sacrifice and the goodwill for making a livable Dhaka.”
She said, people of the city, instead of enjoying cooler weather and heavy rain, had now to deal with making their ways through flood and sewage water.
The main streets in the city became waterlogged. Even after the rain stopped the waters took hours to drain. This proves that the drainage system is not functioning properly for swift water drainage.
She said that rainfall caused severe water-logging in absence of proper drainage system, lack of waste management and sewerage system and poor plan.
The land grabbers in patronization of the political high-ups fill up the low-laying lands as well as canals and thereby obstruct the flow of waters, which is one of the causes of water logging.
Another major cause for narrowing the depth of the canals is dumping of solid wastes, she said.
She also said that the canals of Dhaka used to be the connecting channels of the rivers.
But most of these canals have vanished due to a variety of reasons– unplanned urbanisation, encroachment, lack of co-ordination between the government agencies and lack of maintenance to the system.
‘Use Dhaka rivers
as blessing’
Syed Tosharaf Ali
Secretary General of Manik Mia Foundation Syed Tosharraf Ali said that the people of the Dhaka City suffer tremendously due to the waterlogging.
He said, “We fail to use the four rivers as blessing. The grabbers encroached the rivers. We can use the rivers as blessing like Thames River of England,” he said.
Opining that the waterlogging problem is the man-made problem, he said that the problem also hampers the education, as the children and students can’t go to the school during the waterlogging. “
All of us, including the government and the people, have to work together to resolve the problem immediately. Otherwise, the coming generation will face serious suffering,” he said.
‘Recover canals, rivers’
Ranjit Kumar Paul
The Divisional Engineer of Bangladesh Water Development presented a paper titled “Causes of Waterlogging in Dhaka City and Solution.”
In his presentation said the Water Development Board identified five reasons behind the waterlogging including building culvert hampering the water flow of natural canal and occupying the rivers and canals by the influential quarters.
He also gave 10 points solution to make the city livable including restore the occupied rivers and canals, form a highest committee and united effort and consensus of all political parties, non-government organizations and right groups.
He said, if the drainage system is really well planned and well maintained, rain water should drain out within an hour or a little more. He suggested for taking long-time plan, increasing skill of the manpower. He also suggested the intuitions to recover the vanished canals of the city and rivers from grabbers to reduce the water-logging, and to build a planned city.
‘Decentralization
best recipe’
Kazi Siraj
The Advisor Editor of weekly `Robbar` said that the city dwellers had to experience severe waterlogging even after 42 millimeter rainfall recently. The waterlogging will take turn into a permanent problem for the city if initiative is not taken immediately.
He mentioned a data prepared by Institute of Water Modeling that there was 2952 hectres of water land and 13528 hectres of low land in 1978, while the number of cannels and rivers was 2900 hectrse in the same time in Dhaka and its outskirts areas.
In 2014, the water land and low land stood 1935 hectres and 6198 hectres respectively, while the cannels and the rivers stood at 1002 hectres.
It is clear that the huge parts of water land and the lands of rivers and cannels have been reduced in the last 35 years due to illegal grabbing and unplanned structures, he said.
The senior journalist said that the waterlogging problem is not a big one problem for the present time. “A massive problem is awaiting for the city in the upcoming days that the city dwellers will have to commute by boat on the city streets.”
He said there is no alternative to keeping the flood flow zone free from occupation to protect Dhaka and there is no alternative to recovering the occupied lakes and rivers.
Dhaka city with its over fifteen million people has been reeling under over-population deteriorating public utility services. The over-population is one of the main reasons of the waterlogging problem, as they use huge water daily. All these things are happening due to over-population in the city.
The solution lies undoubtedly in the decentralisation of Dhaka city. Some ministries and various divisional head quarters may be set up outside Dhaka to reduce the pressure of people in the city. The High Court should be spread to various cities. It is said about a quarter of a million people come to Dhaka city every day to attend High Court.
He said decentralisation could help ease many problems of the mega city, paving the way for overall and balanced development of the country and reducing the growing population pressure on the capital.
‘Accountability vital’
AM Mufazzal
The editor of The New Nation in his presidential speech underscored the need for identifying the real problems of water logging and suggested to take necessary steps in this regard for resolving the issue.
He stressed on the co-ordination and the accountability of the related institutions responsible for resolving the crisis of water logging from city with a view to ensuring a safe and peaceful city.
Lack of or-ordination including the DWASA, RAJUK, City Corporations, Water Development Board, Urban authorities and Public Works Department is really important for developing city’s infrastructure, he said.
He finally stressed on the role and responsibilities of the divisional executives to implement development projects accordingly.
