It is good to note that water quality of Gulshan Lake has slightly improved due to various initiatives taken by the city authorities and other environmental organisations.
Reportedly, on June 2015 Bangladesh High Court ordered the government to free portions of Gulshan Lake that had been encroached upon. On April 2017, the Capital Development Authority under the Ministry of Housing and Public Works destroyed a number of structures on the banks of the lake to build pathways on the banks. However, since then the quality of the water has been improving slowly.
Before 2017, the quality of the lake water had deteriorated to such an extent that people did not come close to the water edge because of the ill-maintenance and poor treatment by the people themselves. Still the lake water is not properly maintained and it has lost its clarity and nutrient balance.
Experts are of the opinion that still drains and sewerage pipes connected to the lake from nearby households dump filths in Gulshan Lake. Gulshan Lake has a nice walkway on its western bank, and every morning a lot of residents including many women from Gulshan, Badda and nearby areas take their morning walk. Unfortunately, the bank of the lake is sullied by refuse and garbage dumped there; mostly by the residents of the flats and houses bordering the western lakeside.
Over the last couple of years we have witnessed continued decline in water quality across six water bodies in Dhaka, highlighting the centralization of water resources near more affluent neighbourhoods. If these patterns remain unchecked in the future, water access for the most vulnerable citizens in Dhaka will become more challenging. Researchers and policymakers should not turn a blind eye to these problems and continue to recommend short-term and long-term lake management strategies and policies.
However, in order to improve the water quality of Gulshan Lake, direct discharge of untreated sewage and dumping of solid wastes into the lake must be banned. A lake management authority comprising all stakeholders could be formed for the conservation of the lake. Authorities concerned should integrate necessary programs to clean up the lake and restore it to its natural state. No doubt such a step will be deeply appreciated by all.
