WATERLOGGING has long been an inevitable part of our urban scenario that causes immense suffering to the city dwellers almost all the year round. After torrential rain, most parts of Dhaka, Chittagong, and other major cities go under knee-to-waist-deep water for several hours to few days. Despite, pouring millions of dollars to solve the waterlogging each year, the misery becoming severe with the expansion of the urban area. News media reported that water inundated roads and ground floor of many buildings caused immeasurable miseries to office-goers and school-going children to everyone. Digging roads in excuse of utility supply and dilapidated roads add extra hassle to city dwellers with waterlogging. We see promises have been piled up over the years by successive governments and City Mayors to ease the waterlogging problem, but progress is virtually nothing.
Influenced by nor’wester Dhaka, Chittagong, coastal areas and all over the country have been pouring heavily for the last two days. As sewerage system blocked by garbage, water bodies grabbed by influential persons and unplanned building constructions have made the drainage system impassable, causing waterlogging. During last few days, the traffic system went haywire as the speed of vehicles reduced and engines become non-functioned due to the intrusion of water, causing acute sufferings. The immediate step to reduce waterlogging, therefore, would be to evict all illegal and forced occupation of water bodies. Only the government can do it as many of the encroachers enjoy the indulgence of the authorities concerned.
Leading urban planners have had warned the government decision-makers again and again that waterlogging with even light rain is an inevitable consequence of unplanned and unauthorized urbanization that blocked flood flow zones, rainwater retention areas, canals, and wetlands.
A World Bank study said that an investment of just Tk 270 crore to improve the city’s drainage system could cut down the damage by a third. This means investing in stormwater drainage pumps and drainage infrastructure proposed in the Detailed Area Plan and Sewerage Master Plan need to be executed in right earnest. But it also means recovering canals and other water bodies that have been clogged up with garbage or blatantly grabbed by the influential.
The waterlogging problem has been worsening over the years under the present government’s empty slogan of development. It is because of the lies about development, no ministry has the compulsion to be responsible for their work. The government is so happy about successes that the ministries do not have to show successes.
The two elected mayors of the city have a responsibility to reduce the waterlogging and easing people permanently from this repeating problem each year. Lack of proper coordination among ministries concerned and several departments of the government which deal with utility services should work coordinately to solve the waterlogging, aiming to provide relief to the suffering of the people of the city. The government should feel the need of showing real success through its competence. Lying has become a kind of truth with this government. Real success is not necessary.
