DHAKA has been ranked as the 214th least liveable city among the world’s 230 cities in this year, which focused in a survey titled “Quality of Living Ranking 2016” released by the US-based research institute, MERCER. Despite recent security issues, social unrest, and concern about the region’s economic outlook, European cities continue to offer some of the world’s highest quality-of-living and Vienna, the capital city of Austria has secured rank one. The vast region of Asia has considerable variation in quality of living. In 26th place, Singapore remains its highest ranking city; a media outlet reports on Tuesday. This ranking of Dhaka city in the world has once again created a sense of fury and frustration among many of us. It lucidly focuses that Dhaka’s liveable standard is deteriorating day by day for the lack of concern of its authorities to make the city liveable.According to WHO, Dhaka has been ranked 23rd among 1,600 cities of 91 countries with worst urban air quality (2014 Ambient Air Pollution database). The economic cost of particulate (PM10) air pollution in Dhaka city estimated in a research is 2.4 percent of the GDP of the country. The challenges of Dhaka city and the way they affect the lifestyle of its residents, are probably much deeper than reflected in quantified indicators. The city has been suffering from perennial traffic gridlock, destruction of wetlands and green spaces and encroachment of pedestrian space. It lacks an efficient waste management system, a well-functioning public transportation arrangement and a pulsating cultural life.Over the years, public resources have been allocated to vanity projects, which have not improved the quality of urban life and poor emergency services are among many inconveniences that its residents face in their daily lives. The city is overcrowded and by 2050, urban population is predicted to rise to 70 percent of total global population where effective decentralization and development devolution remain a far cry. As a result, the city has simply become unliveable. Dhaka’s urbanization is undernourished with basically non-existent civic amenities. However, none can yet say for sure how successful the mayors will be in their campaign to brighten the image of Dhaka. It is time for the government to upgrade the status of Dhaka as the capital by all means. The stigma of being the 214th least liveable city in the eyes of the international community sadly lingers on, even when the government is talking about faster progress. Nobody around is really taking care of the parameters related to the quality of life in the capital. If our policymakers want to make Dhaka a sustainable city, there has to be a change in the way they think, the way they plan, the way they take decisions and the way they work. A futuristic view of the political leadership, along with actual implementation, is what Dhaka city needs for its survival.
