Preparing for water logging and associated ills
The monsoon season has not fully arrived. That is why the city dwellers have not faced the water logging problem per se as yet. But those days are not far, when many parts of the Dhaka city will go under water with minimum 10 millimetres of rainfall, if the relevant authorities including the two city corporations do not take up adequate proactive measures to drain rain waters properly and repair the pot-holed and broken roads and streets.
About a week ago the communications minister sounded alarm for the concerned officials that highways must be duly prepared before the Eid travel starts. Finally how much the roads and highway department would be able to deliver for making the Eid travel smooth is a matter to be seen, but about the Dhakas water logging problem we have not heard of any such measures.
This is a problem which has been lingering for long for the inhabitants of Dhaka city. One may discover broken roads everywhere in the city. In places, where the sewerage waters from leaking or broken sewer lines gets mixed with the
accumulated rain water, the problem becomes even worse. Often during monsoon we come by news of rickshaws turning turtle on ditch filled roads with their women and children passengers. Even the movements of private cars and other vehicles through these broken but inundated roads become very difficult.
That is why it is now very important to improve the condition of these roads before the period of heavy rainfalls begins. Improving of the sewerage lines or cleaning them to make discharge of rain waters through them quickly , is not the duty of the elected mayors but of the WASA. If this organisation and city corporations work in a coordinated manner the sufferings of the city dwellers can be expected to ease greatly.
