ENVIRONMENTALISTS forecast that Dhaka will be the worst city in the world to live in over the years to come. Their prediction became reality as a boy died falling into the sewerage canal of the capital city. News reports said that Fire Service and Civil Defense divers on Friday morning recovered the body of a four-year-old boy after he fell in a sewerage behind Mirpur Commerce College in the city’s Mirpur area on Thursday afternoon.
The victim was identified as Junaid Sabbir, son of Amir Hossain of the Mirpur area. The kid died in the sewerage canal only one week after a six-year-old girl died falling into a canal in city’s Mohakhali area on July 14. The recurrent death of innocent kids in the capital city’s sewerage canals once again shows the City Corporation’s failure as well as negligence to develop the city’s drainage system.
It is shameful for us that the capital city of a country remains standstill due to less than an hour of rainfall. The Detailed Area Plan (DAP) and Sewerage Master Plan prepared for the city’s storm water drainage pumps and drainage infrastructure have not been implemented as yet. The disastrous state of the city’s drainage system becomes most glaringly visible within a short period of rainfall as the streets go under knee-deep water.
It is very unfortunate that during rainy season, many manholes and canals remain open. Media has been repeatedly reporting the devastating condition of city’s sewerage and canals. But nobody is taking the responsibility. It appears that City Corporations are reluctant to tackle this public issue that is repeatedly taking the lives of innocent kids. Due to lack of proper water management system, pedestrians fall into manholes and canals without covers as they had just gone under clogged water.
It won’t be an overstatement to say that the child – Junaid Sabbir has lost his life over the mismanagement of City Corporations. So, City Corporations cannot skip their responsibility for these frequent incidents of child’s death falling into sewerage canals. Reports said that the victim’s family alleged that the local Fire Service Office was late to respond to their call. It appears that the overall city management system is in setback.
In this situation, what is horrifying is that the once serene Dhaka has now turned into an unliveable city for human habitation. It is a shame for the city fathers as Dhaka’s continued position at the bottom of the index highlights the worst quality of life and poor urban governance. And the child’s death in the sewerage canal bears out it. So, City Corporations should take urgent action to save lives. The city’s canals should not be placed for the deaths of children.
