Staff Reporter :
Urban planners, water engineers, environmentalists and people’s representatives have underlined the importance of having an effective coordinated management system to bring to an end waterlogging problem in the capital city Dhaka.
To ensure empowerment of relevant departments, they also laid emphasis on planning, coordination, clear decision of responsibility and accountability of the implementing agencies to get rid of the problem — the major civic problem of the recent time.
At the same time, they also underscored the need for a firm political commitment to ensure implementation of the work plan undertaken to safeguard Dhaka city. If the capital city does not exist, Bangladesh will not exist, they opined.
Waterlogging has appeared as permanent problem in Dhaka City. No department takes the responsibility to eliminate the Waterlogging problem. Rather, they trade on blame game. So, the government has to clear which department will be responsible for making Dhaka City free from waterlogging., they said, adding: It is also equally important to ensure empowerment of every sector so that they could work uninterruptedly in a coordinated way.
They came up with the observations at a roundtable discussion on “Waterlogging makes Dhaka city unlivable” held at Manik Mia Foundation at Ittefaq Bhaban in the city. The New Nation and Manik Mia Foundation jointly organized the discussion.
Chairman of the Editorial Board of The New Nation Barrister Mainul Hosein, Chairman of Center for Urban Studies and former Chairman of University Grants Commission Professor Nazrul Islam, Sanjida Khanam MP, former Additional Secretary Md Fayezur Rahman Chowdhury, Chairman of Janogoner Mancha and former Director General of WARPO Engineer M. Inamul Hoque, Chairman of Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (Bapa) Abu Nasser Khan, , Chief Engineer of Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB)Md Abul Kalam Azad, Director of WBB Trust (Admin and Finance) Gaous Pearee, Advisor Editor of the Weekly Robbar Kazi Siraj, Secretary General of Manik Mia Foundation Syed Tosharraf Ali and General Manager of The New Nation Syed Altaf Hossain addressed the programme.
Editor of The New Nation A. M. Mufazzal presided over the discussion while Chief Reporter Sagar Biswas moderated it.
Divisional Engineer of BWDB Ranjit Kumar Paul presented a paper titled “Causes of waterlogging in Dhaka City and its solution.”
The speakers called upon the responsible persons to create awareness among the city dwellers about the adverse impact of waterlogging.
Addressing the issue, Professor Nazrul Islam said, the people of the Dhaka City suffer tremendously due to waterlogging. Taskforce must be formed comprising all the representatives of different quarters to check the problem. “The government must protect Dhaka. If the city is destroyed the whole country will be crippled. Forty per cent of the total GDP comes from the capital city. So it is necessary to save the city,” he said.
Professor Nazrul Islam said that there were huge development works in the city. But sometimes the development works were taken on wrong estimation and so, it had hampered the water flow of Dholai Khal. A good number of canals have been occupied by the influential quarters.
On the other hand, the Dhaka city authorities have built box culverts in many parts of the city which have been proved wrong and now appeared as one of the big reasons of waterlogging. These box culverts must be broken, he said. “The government has to take initiatives to dig new canals, restore the dead canals, protect the existing canals. The Mayors of the both Dhaka City Corporations are active to mitigate the problem, although the high-ups of the government have no headache over it,” he said.
“The Mayors want to work to resolve the waterlogging problem. But it is a tough task for them, as the boss of the every department does not respond the call of Mayors in maximum times. So there is need of a highest boss who will call the meeting and monitor it,” he added.
He suggested the mayors of the bifurcated city corporations to take advice from the experts and go to the people for hearing their problems.
Professor Nazrul said, only political commitment from highest level can resolve the waterlogging problem. The Prime Minister, the Cabinet Members and the high-ups of the government may start the initiative. Otherwise, no one is capable to eliminate waterlooging in the city.
He also disclosed that the RAJUK has already completed a plan ‘2016-2035’ to develop the overall situation of the city. It has also identified reasons and solution to waterlogging in the city. The plan will be published tomorrow (Monday). He hoped, the waterlogging problem will be reduced if the RAJUK implement the plan properly.
Sanjida Khanam MP said that coordinated effort is a must to resolve the waterlogging problem. There is no department to take responsibility to protect canals in the city. WASA, Water Development Board and RAJUK blame each other. But the situation is unchanged.
“Some influential persons during the previous governments had occupied the canals and built multi-storied buildings. The banks of the Buriganga, Shitalakkhya and Turag have been encroached by the influential persons. As a result, the water cannot run out swiftly in the rivers during the monsoon period.
When they are asked to remove their illegal establishments, they try to take shelter under the umbrella of their parties. In several cases, the influential encroachers built mosques in front of their illegal buildings so that the government cannot recover it. It is undesirable and shameful,” she said.
She also called upon all political parties, the non-government organisations and the civil society members to take pragmatic role for checking waterlogging problem in the city. “We all have to stand under one umbrella to resolve the city’s waterlogging problem which makes the city totally unlivable”, she said.
She said that ‘unplanned city’ is mainly responsible for the waterlogging. Besides, overpopulation is another major problem for the city. We have to control the overpopulation for controlling problems like waterlogging and the traffic jam to ensure a peaceful city”, she said.
The Awami League lawmaker also stressed the need for decentralization of Ministries, offices and institutions to check the flow of people in Dhaka.
She also suggested for raising awareness of the people to keep away from pollution of the city, which is blocking the total drainage system and waterlogging. Barrister Mainul Hosein welcomed the distinguished discussants and expressed his firm belief that no country can be successful without making proper use of its experienced and talented persons. But what is regrettable is that in our country the need of competent and specialists is not felt so strongly. Other considerations prevail more. He said that the waterlogging is a man-created problem, which makes the Dhaka city unlivable. The problem has to be resolved for building a livable city. The New Nation and the Manik Mia Foundation are committed to play role in this regard from its own position. From this aspect, the roundtable discussion has been organised to take suggestion from experts and concerned officials.
Mentioning his long-year experiences as an eyewitness, he said, “We have been living in the city from the very beginning when the problem was not such dangerous. Now the problem of the waterlogging in the capital has taken a serious turn. The city becomes waterlogged even during a little rainfall,” he said.
“We hope that the government will pay more attention; and understand that efficient measures can tackle the issue of waterlogging in Dhaka City.” BWDB and DCCs may work together to create awareness among mass people for not throwing wastage here and there in the city roads that is ultimately logged inside the drains, Barrister Mainul Hosein said. Giving example of Singapore, he said, if a system is developed by the authorities, people of this country will be habituated here to throw wastages in certain place like Singapore.
Gaous Pearee laid stress on the decentralisation of Ministries, offices and institutions to check the flow of Dhaka-bound people.
She also suggested for raising awareness among the people to keep the city free from pollution as well as blocking of the drainage system which causes waterlogging.
She also called for revival of the rivers and canals through destroying illegal buildings. Md Abul Kalam Azad said that the BWDB is committed to complete its work which the government assigns. He said the BWDB is not working properly in the city. It works outside the city. City Mayors and WASA are responsible for the waterlogging, he said.
Abu Nasser Khan urged the government to identify the persons who are responsible for creating city waterlogging. A small number of people construct buildings in line with the government’s instruction. But the land grabbers are continuing their jobs to grab land. He demanded their arrest and bring them under justice.
“The plan to develop the city was implemented for a few people in the past. It is high time to think about the whole people of the city. Partial plan and thinking should be ignored,” he said. Ranjit Kumar Paul in his presentation said the BWDB identified five reasons behind the waterlogging, including construction of box culvert with hampering water flow of natural canal and occupying the rivers and canals by the influential quarters.
He also gave a 10-point solution to make the city livable. They include restoration of the occupied rivers and canals, formation of a top-level committee, united effort and awareness of all political parties, non-government organizations and rights groups.
Md Fayezur Rahman Chowdhury said the previous drainage systems should be revived and some new drainage system has to build. “But here is question that who is responsible for that. It should be specified,” he said. Kazi Siraj said Dhaka is now an overpopulated city. It cannot operate easily with huge people. The flow of the Dhaka-bound people must be stopped. Otherwise, no plan will work.
“A certain government could not take step to stop the Dhaka-bound people. We need political decision in this regard. All the political parties in the country have to make a national consensus to save the Dhaka,” he said. In his concluding speech, AM Mufazzal underscored the need for identifying the real problems of waterlogging and suggested for taking necessary steps in this regard for resolving the issue. He stressed on the coordination and accountability of the related institutions responsible for resolving the waterlogging crisis with a view to ensuring a safe and peaceful city.
Coordination among the DWASA, RAJUK, City Corporations, Water Development Board, Urban authorities and Public Works Department is highly important for developing city’s infrastructure, he said.
