Staff Reporter :Before the opening of Hatirjheel-Begunbari project, the twin-lake was virtually a dumping zone of capital city Dhaka, a ditch carrying household and industrial waste. After two years of building the new beautiful site of the stunning waterbody, the scenario is still the same! It is still filled with the thick air and suffocating odour seeping from the water.Besides, the wastes from the households, kitchen markets, sewer and rejected goods are dumped beside the lake by some local residents. They often drained the waste into the lake water taking the advantage of lax of surveillance of authority and city’s faulty sewerage system.Visitors alleged that the area with its wide-open spaces is gradually losing its charm and beauty due to noxious smells of the contaminated lake that is constantly burdened with garbage.They also said that indiscriminate waste dumping and poor safety measures have made the city’s jheel unsafe to visitors as well spoiling beauty of the spot.The residents living around the project area are deeply frustrated at the fading of aesthetic beauty, and said that the project, which started with a bang, appears to have lost much of its appeal by this timeThose residing at Dilu Road or in adjacent neighbourhoods cannot open windows due to bad smell from the lake. The problem becomes worsen when it rains.Not only that the pedestrians avoid the footpath passing by Sonargaon Hotel due the same reason. Even those travelling by buses or other vehicles smell the stink from the Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue.There is widespread allegation that poor and irresponsible waste management by Dhaka North and South City Corporations has been spoiling and degrading the city’s remaining lakes and water bodies.The solid wastes, food packets, polythene, dead cows, chicken and goats blocked the mechanical screen set up near Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel to prevent solid wastes getting into the lake water.However, Housing and Public Works Minister Engr Mosharraf Hossain on Sunday initiated a cleansing drive at the Hatirjheel project ushering in a hope to regain better environment in the public amusement spot.The Minister said that government has taken up a Tk 400 crore project for the development of Gulshan-Banani Lake as it will be linked with Hatirjheel project widening facilities for the city dwellers.”Hatirjheel project will be linked with Gulshan-Banani Lake. As part of the process, a Tk 400 crore project has been taken for the development of Gulshan-Banani Lake,” Engr Mosharraf Hossain said.He said the work on linking Hatirjheel with Gulshan-Banani Lake will be completed after getting rid of bad smell from Hatirjheel water through proper purification.Engr Mosharraf said the government initiatives are there to keep the eye-catching Hatirjheel project neat and clean. “But awareness should be developed among people as well. All need to practice putting wastes in the right place.”He said similar cleansing drive will be conducted in other parks in the country so that people can walk and spend time comfortably.The Minister said there had been coordinated efforts to implement the huge project of Hatirjheel and people will have to be conscious to get benefit of such parks.It is to be noted that the twin lake, separated by the Tongi Diversion Road, was opened to public in a hurry in January 2013 even before the development plans around it could be completed.Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the ‘Integrated Development of Hatirjheel Area including Begunbari Khal project’ with a view to connect the eastern and western parts of Dhaka, reduce traffic jam, improve Dhaka’s drainage and sewerage system.
