A RECENT report in an English daily made the shocking disclosure that real estate businessmen have destroyed around 80 percent of Dhaka’s floodplains and water preservation zones and this in turn is endangering the city. In view of the magnitude of the danger, we ask the authorities concerned to take effective steps to stop the grabbing, if they want to protect the city from ruin. We know floodplains play a pivotal role in recharging underground aquifers, balancing temperatures, and supplying water for agriculture and fishing while water retention zones are crucial for preventing floods. But apparently nothing is stopping the destruction of these floodplains. This destruction cannot be described as anything short of land grabbing by influential quarters under the cover of powerful people in the government.
The report finds incidents of these actions are overwhelmingly happening during the last five years
of the ruling Awami League tenure. Experts opined that the ruling party’s procrastination in implementing key recommendations of the detailed area plan (DAP) helped this process. Especially, one key recommendation in the DAP was to reclaim around 2,500 acres of flood flow zones and agricultural land from illegal housing scheme developers. But the government is apparently lingering implementation with flimsy excuses of “reviews” and “procedures”.
The DAP illustrates every lake, canal, wetland, retention pond, road, open space and all the topographical features of Dhaka’s 1,528 square kilometer area and is essential in controlling land use to ensure a planned city with conservation of wetlands and the environment. But, as the DAP’s implementation remained uncertain, real estate developers, many of whom are ruling party men, are continuously destroying the flood flow zones, water retention areas, river foreshores and farmlands, adding much to the already existing problems of mega city Dhaka’s drainage system. Experts said that real estate developers had filled up most of the wetlands and flood flow zones in the capital while the government paid only lip service to prevent it. As a consequence, an unsustainable future is awaiting Dhaka city as the risk of floods and pollution will increase.
We are appalled by the gradual destruction of Dhaka city’s floodplains and water preservation zones. This means that there will be more frequent events of city outskirts being inundated during monsoon. Apart from the short term inconveniences, the grave environmental disasters these realtors are bringing are irreparable and a process they have already initiated that is nearly irreversible. Any sensible planner or authority cannot let it go as it is going now. Along with many other examples of pillage and plunder from bank vaults, share market and what not land grabbing has become a regular phenomenon under the current prolonged regime. Our advice, for record at least, is to let reasoning have a chance for once. Such rampant corruption and destruction will never bring sustainability, neither for nation nor for the regime. For if environment is endangered, none will be given any respite when disasters would come.
