WHEN it comes to addressing the water logging in Dhaka city, WASA is a “failed organisation”, said Dhaka South City Corporation Mayor Sayeed Khokon on Tuesday, as per reports of a local daily.
The Mayor said it is necessary to merge WASA (Water Supply and Sewerage Authority) with the two City Corporations in Dhaka or change its leadership. He has rightly said Wasa is busy with projects worth hundreds of crores of taka that ending in waste but we think he is not right when he said it may be merged with the two City Corporations. The city Mayors are yet to prove their leadership before coming with such a critical suggestion to hand over WASA functions to them. But he is right when he called for new leadership at WASA to deal with water drainage and sewerage problems.
Incessant downpour in the last few days caused huge water logging at different parts of the city highlighting weakness in the drainage system in the city. Many areas were worst affected from water logging party paralyzing the city life.
Since the canals, the primary drainage system of the city, are blocked, they cannot hold the huge storm water released during the monsoon. This messy situation could be attributed to encroachment on drainage canals at low-lying areas by various vested quarters, inadequate drainage and pumping facilities, lack of coordination in work of various agencies, change of drainage pattern due to land development or other human interventions.
The Mayor has rightly pointed out the failure of Wasa but one should not also miss the point that the problem can’t be properly fixed by any body unless the recovery of the canals and eviction of encroachers can be secured. Here WASA can’t be blamed alone. It is true WASA people are wasting public money in manifold corruptions but when it comes to clear the mess in city drainage system many other organizations must also coordinate their activities to make the city free from water logging. Even encroachers in the Mayor’s old city are blocking the canals and storm water that he should recover first.
Dhaka WASA started its journey in 1963 with the mandate to provide water supply, disposal of domestic and industrial sewerage, storm water drainage and solid waste management. WASA mainly dealt with the water supply, treatment and disposal of sewerage while it remained largely unsuccessful in addressing water logging where other organizations like Water Development Board, Rajuk, City Corporations, LGED have important role to play.
We must say the DCC (South) should reduce wasteful expenditures in non-critical areas and eliminate corruption to ensure that it will have enough funds for developing city sewerage and drainage facilities. WASA is playing significant role but overcoming much of its shortcomings needs strong political leadership and enhanced manpower capacity to deal with the crisis.
The Mayor said it is necessary to merge WASA (Water Supply and Sewerage Authority) with the two City Corporations in Dhaka or change its leadership. He has rightly said Wasa is busy with projects worth hundreds of crores of taka that ending in waste but we think he is not right when he said it may be merged with the two City Corporations. The city Mayors are yet to prove their leadership before coming with such a critical suggestion to hand over WASA functions to them. But he is right when he called for new leadership at WASA to deal with water drainage and sewerage problems.
Incessant downpour in the last few days caused huge water logging at different parts of the city highlighting weakness in the drainage system in the city. Many areas were worst affected from water logging party paralyzing the city life.
Since the canals, the primary drainage system of the city, are blocked, they cannot hold the huge storm water released during the monsoon. This messy situation could be attributed to encroachment on drainage canals at low-lying areas by various vested quarters, inadequate drainage and pumping facilities, lack of coordination in work of various agencies, change of drainage pattern due to land development or other human interventions.
The Mayor has rightly pointed out the failure of Wasa but one should not also miss the point that the problem can’t be properly fixed by any body unless the recovery of the canals and eviction of encroachers can be secured. Here WASA can’t be blamed alone. It is true WASA people are wasting public money in manifold corruptions but when it comes to clear the mess in city drainage system many other organizations must also coordinate their activities to make the city free from water logging. Even encroachers in the Mayor’s old city are blocking the canals and storm water that he should recover first.
Dhaka WASA started its journey in 1963 with the mandate to provide water supply, disposal of domestic and industrial sewerage, storm water drainage and solid waste management. WASA mainly dealt with the water supply, treatment and disposal of sewerage while it remained largely unsuccessful in addressing water logging where other organizations like Water Development Board, Rajuk, City Corporations, LGED have important role to play.
We must say the DCC (South) should reduce wasteful expenditures in non-critical areas and eliminate corruption to ensure that it will have enough funds for developing city sewerage and drainage facilities. WASA is playing significant role but overcoming much of its shortcomings needs strong political leadership and enhanced manpower capacity to deal with the crisis.
