Lakes in a city are blessings, but for Dhaka dwellers its eight prominent lakes have become worries in the absence of a complete sewage treatment system and lack of coordination to maintain them. Though a huge amount of money has been spent on lake development projects over the years, the condition of the lakes remains bad, experts say. Rajuk maintains the lakes at Hatirjheel, Gulshan, Banani, Baridhara and Uttara, while the Public Works Department runs the Dhanmondi and the Ramna lakes. Hatirjheel, which was inaugurated in 2013 on 311.79 acres of land, has become a dumping ground of garbage and sewage that have discoloured its water even in this full monsoon. Already Tk 59 crore has been spent to free water of the lake from bad ordous and pollution, but still the lake’s water stinks.
A news report published in a national daily on Sunday said that the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) has opened the sluice gate of Hatirjheel to let the storm water flow away amid this rainy season. This caused the water to mix with sewerage and wastes. Now, we have to wait for the monsoon to pass until water quality recovers. Five different government entities are looking after Dhanmondi Lake’s various aspects. The fisheries department looks after fishery development and the DSCC is responsible for its development and maintenance. The Department of Environment takes care of the environmental aspects. But a gap in coordination is one of the key reasons behind these lakes not being maintained properly as there is no single authority for the task.
Apart from their scenic beauty, Dhaka’s lakes have great economical and environmental value. Thus, protecting the lakes from pollution should be a priority for the sake of the environment. A motivation programme is necessary to stop unauthorised activities that seriously lead to pollution of the lakes and surrounding environment. Our lack of knowledge about environmental management and indifferent attitude towards protection of the environment have turned these beautiful water bodies into a sink of pollution, receiving numerous unauthorised sewage outlets, urban drainage discharges and even solid waste from various sources.
City planners, architects and water body specialists have suggested that the lakes should be handed over to the two city corporations as Dhaka WASA has already handed over 26 canals to Dhaka North and Dhaka South city corporations to prevent water logging. This point merits serious consideration by the government.
