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Strategic plan needed to end water-logging

Restoring natural drainage system can be the way out


Bangladeshpost
Published : 30 Jun 2019 07:19 PM | Updated : 31 Aug 2020 08:21 AM

Though a short spell of shower on Saturday afternoon gave us some relief from the scorching heat, it reminded us of the sufferings that we have to go through every monsoon. During Bangladesh’s relentless monsoon season, Dhaka is submerged several times a month. A mere hour of rain plunges Dhaka into an abyss of filthy water on roads caused by poor drainage system and unplanned urbanization. Also every time after a heavy rainfall the city’s traffic system collapses, which often lasts  for hours together. 

The natural drainage system in Dhaka comprises of several canals and floodplains which have been grabbed or filled up with illegal dumping of waste. Moreover, real estate developers have been indulged in a competition to haphazardly fill up low lands through which excess water used to go to the nearby rivers. Meanwhile, improper maintenance of existing drainage system has also aggravated the situation. But efforts from the part of the city authorities have not been fruitful enough to address and fix the problems.


DCC and WASA should collaborate 

and devise a master plan to resolve 

the pertaining water-logging problem


Dhaka needs a proper drainage system in which the canals, flood plains and rivers would be connected to carry excess water within hours. Therefore, in order to mitigate the water-logging problems; the city must restore its natural drainage system through evicting the illegal grabbers of the city canals.

In 2016, Annisul Haq, the late mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), took numerous initiatives to eradicate water-logging. As a result, the situations in areas such as Gulshan, Banani, and Baridhara have noticeably improved. However, people living in other parts of the city such as Mirpur, Badda, Mohammadpur, and Kuril are still struggling to get rid of the water-logging miseries.

We believe Dhaka still has not reached the stage where it must accept that water-logging is inevitable. We do not want to learn the way how to live being water-logged rather we want to manage the problem in a way so our life is not disturbed too much because of rain and water-logging. It is said that Dhaka’s water-logging problem can be fixed. What is needed now is a concerted and well-deployed move fueled by adequate allocation of resources. Therefore authorities concerned including DCC and WASA need to collaborate and devise a master plan to resolve the water-logging problem. Also authorities concerned should adopt new practices and measures to prevent such problems in future.