EDITORIAL : THE DAILY STAR, BANGLADESH

           

 

Water-logged capital

System overhaul necessary

Hardly has the monsoon begun, city dwellers are already suffering the consequences. Rainwater leads to severe water-logging in most areas of the capital including Shantinagar, Mouchak, Maghbazar, Rampura, Badda, Jatrabari and even posh residential areas such as Gulshan. Following heavy or even not so heavy rains, water rises knee high, preventing many modes of transport from plying the roads, and clogging up in water and severe traffic, those that do. Water-logging damages infrastructure, destroys vegetation and aquatic habitats and gives rise to waterborne diseases from the overflow of sewerage polluting the water. And driven by sheer necessity, people wade through the contaminated water, but it is a hygienic nightmare.

Inadequate drainage sections and outlets, a dated drainage system with low capacity and gravity and lack of proper maintenance, natural siltation, absence of inlets and outlets, and, perhaps most importantly, the disposal of solid waste into the drains and drainage paths are the prime causes of water-logging in the capital. Canals and wetlands have been filled up at will on the pretext of real estate development, depriving the rainwater of its natural outlets. The drainage system as it now stands lacks proper maintenance and needs renovation, if not a complete overhaul. While measures are sometimes taken to clear the sewerage, it is often left on the roadside, only to flow back into the drains and back onto the roads during heavy rain, thus carrying on the vicious cycle.

Dhaka City is in dire need of proper planning and coordination, not least, of proper inlets and outlets for its water flow. Collaboration between the public and private sectors in developing the urban drainage system may be in order. So far, the Detailed Area Plan (DAP), which was approved to deal with the city's physical and environmental issues, is still on paper. We urge the authorities to implement it with a firm hand as a first step towards easing the woes of the city dwellers and making life in the capital a little more bearable.

Pavements under siege!

Restore them to pedestrians

If pictures speak a thousand words, than the one carried in the Metropolitan page of this newspaper, last Monday, speaks many more than that. It was a picture of Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue, a so-called VIP road, where the pavement has been commandeered by parked cars, and one can also see that it is also being used to repair cars, among other things.

In other words, the footpath is being used for everything except for the purpose that is built, which is, for use by the pedestrians. And the helpless pedestrians are forced to use the main road instead, being left with no other alternative.

The consequence of this is that vehicle movements are being hampered by pedestrians who are forced to use the road that is impeding normal flow of traffic, apart from the fact that they are also putting their lives at risk.

We find it hard to believe that of all the roads in Dhaka City a major thoroughfare like the VIP road would be plagued by a problem that is pervasive all over the capital. Frankly, one hardly gets to see a stretch of footpath of any definition here. They are either occupied by hawkers and vendors, or they are covered under pile of sand or bricks or other construction materials, or have been occupied by police box or by offices of appendages of political parties.

We are surprised that a public service facility is being misused with impunity and the authorities concerned are least bothered to do anything about it. Or perhaps they are turning a blind eye for whatever reasons. The sorry state cannot be endured any longer. Is it asking too much of the relevant authorities and the police for the footpaths to be retrieved completely and restored to the public for their use?