Letters to the editor
Monsoon woes
Sir,
Hardly has the monsoon begun, city dwellers are already suffering the consequences as 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. Driven by sheer necessity, people wade through the contaminated water, but it is a hygienic nightmare.
Inadequate drainage sections and outlets, outdated drainage system with low capacity and gravity and lack of proper maintenance, natural salutation, absence of inlets and outlets, and, perhaps most importantly,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, which was approved to deal with the citys 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.
Nafisa, Dhaka
Education equals opportunity
Sir,
Recently I came across a text wherein Queen Rania of Jordan referred education as equal to opportunity because education creates the opportunity to work, to escape poverty, to live healthily, to live confidently and the opportunity to hope. The queen states-I believe you deserve an education whoever you are its your right. I am encouraged to learn that Queen Rania has been doing a lot to expand education in her county.
A very pragmatic observation indeed! Without acquiring education it is difficult to get the above mentioned opportunities. But a question arises, what type of education would help a person achieve the opportunity to work and to escape poverty? Of course elementary basic education is indispensable for the children. But doubts shadows our thought when comes the issue of higher education particularly for the people of those countries where unemployment, poverty, economic insufficiency is wide spread. Take for example, the case of Bangladesh which has a high population with only a limited land and resources. Is it appropriate for this nation to produce general graduates with advanced university degrees? I think we need profession-based skill development technical education. For instance, we have a huge work force working in garment industries but in most cases they are not very skilled and technically sound.
In fact, our manpower has the potentialities to access the opportunity to earn, to get rid of poverty if they could be provided with appropriate technical education just after SSC or even after middle school certificate.
I think the government and our international development partners should take necessary steps to create enough technical trade-based educational opportunities to train our youths to turn them into skilled manpower.
Professor M Zahidul Haque, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka
