Md. Zillur Rahaman :
Planned urban management is not keeping pace with the growing urbanization and rapid urbanization in the whole country including the capital Dhaka. As a result, livelihoods and the environment are severely neglected in the formulation and implementation of infrastructure-centric development plans, including unequal distribution of civic amenities and formulation of extreme discriminatory policies. Considering the safety of people of all classes, professions and ages, livable and eco-friendly city is one of the major problems of Dhaka.
Floating human slums are developing in the capital Dhaka as a result of a lack of planned housing that results in an unhealthy environment. In this city, garbage, stench, etc. are daily companions. Illegal occupancies are growing at an alarming rate in an effort to accommodate the city’s large population. Some unscrupulous people are occupying the shores of lakes and rivers. Rivers are therefore losing navigability, lakes are being polluted. Problems related to waterlogging have become regular issues in the monsoon. In a very simple equation, it can be said that the more the population, the more the garbage generated by them will be and the more and more the dumping of this garbage creates an unhealthy environment.
The environmental pollution also takes a deadly shape in Dhaka. Water is being polluted as a result of dumping garbage in lakes and rivers and this is causing various water borne diseases. Unhealthy environments are most prevalent in urban slums. This unhealthy environment contains various germs that pollute the surrounding environment and make people sick.
Due to overcrowding and lack of space, Dhaka does not have adequate recreational facilities. With the exception of a few specific parks and recreation centers, the lack of clean environment has become evident. There is not even the slightest hint of adequate recreation in the development of children. There is no playground and no clean environment. Nowadays, there is a rush to build supermarkets, apartments, etc. by occupying different fields again. As a result, children are deprived of playground. Living in a corner of the house hinders their adequate mental and physical development.
A study by the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) found that 73 percent of the city’s scattered infrastructure is completely unplanned. Due to unplanned infrastructure, the capital Dhaka has become a city of traffic jams and waterlogging. Added to that is the stench in the water, the dilapidated condition of the roads and ghats, the manholes without lids, the piles of garbage everywhere, the housing crisis with the torment of mosquitoes and flies. Multi-storey residential and commercial buildings have been constructed without following proper land use policies.
The drainage system of the capital has become uncontrollable as a result of unscrupulous development of water bodies and low lying areas. The transport sector has been disrupted due to inadequate road system.
On the other hand, traffic congestion is another big problem of the capital city. This is an excellent example of unplanned urbanization. Although the residents of the city need 25 percent of the total area for road communication, it is just only 8 percent in the capital. The total road space here is 1,286 kilometers and 52% of these are unsuitable for motor vehicles. Due to this the traffic jam is constantly increasing.
The population of Dhaka city is more than 12 million and it is not possible to ensure adequate food, shelter and other facilities for this huge population. The only authority for the development of Dhaka city is the Capital Development Authority (RAJUK). The existing laws for planning and development are not sufficient for development. The most important thing is that the existing laws are not used properly. High-rise apartments are set up to solve housing problems. At present residential area is developed on 62% land of Dhaka city and of this, 25 percent land is under plan and the remaining 37 percent has unplanned housing. Besides, commercial infrastructure has been developed on 8 percent of the land and administrative infrastructure on 9 percent. Cantonments have been built on 10 percent land with open water bodies in 4 percent places and airports in 2 percent. Large administrative buildings, universities and airports have sprung up in the heart of the city without any planned master plan. These structures, which cover 12 percent of the city, are affecting the overall development.
Unplanned urbanization has taken its toll on crop lands and decreased arable land. In many cities, the situation is alarming. It is seen that due to depletion of land on the one hand production is declining, on the other hand it is creating extreme threats and challenges for future housing, which is not good news for our country at all!
(Zillur Rahaman is a banker).
