DS Sourav Megacity and the capital Dhaka is one of the largest in the world. For the last two years, Dhaka ranked third and second on the list of intelligence units. According to a report published by the Bangladesh Institute of Planners (BIP), 82 percent of Dhaka area is covered in concrete. A minimum of 30-35 percent of the area for a livable city should be open, green and wetland. But in the last 20 years, the wetlands and open spaces of the capital's 134 sq km have been reduced to a large extent, increasing by infrastructure. Urban Planner and architect Morad Khan said,
“In many areas of the capital, the amount of waterbody and green space has dropped to zero.” Due to the unplanned urbanization, the capital is gradually moving towards the dead city. The building code here is not properly adhered to, he added. He also mentioned that, as a consequence, residents of Dhaka are facing severe waterlogging and pollution. The open spaces in Dhaka are being filled in the name of urbanization. Reservoirs are occupied by so-called political goons.
A private firm architect Ashiqur Rahman explains this as, ‘If the amount of wetland beside the city is reduced, the city will not survive. Biodiversity will not survive. All kinds of disasters, including waterlogging, pollution, will also affect city life. Therefore, the role of wetlands is very important in mitigating disaster risk in the city life, he added. Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) Architecture Department Professor Khondaker Sabbir Ahmed said, due to the decline of the reservoirs, the areas in Dhaka are feeling very hot due to the heat.
Dhaka's temperature is rising at a higher rate than anyplace in the country, because the amount of green and aquaculture here has decreased dramatically. He opined that, this unbearable circumstance is due to unplanned urbanization. First, we have to stop this unplanned urbanization. We have to think about planned urbanization and development. For this, there is no alternative to decentralization of capital, he later emphasized. End
