Water-logging in Dhaka
Only a moderate
amount of rainfall can
lead to water-logging in many parts of the capital exposing the people to
a lot of suffering
Water-logging is a chronic problem faced by the inhabitants of the capital Dhaka. According to a report in this newspaper yesterday, torrential rain from Saturday night disrupted normal life as several low-lying areas, including Malibagh, Mouchak and Shantinagar, remained water-logged.
With the burgeoning population Dhaka city has expanded both horizontally and vertically. The major canals of the city have been grabbed by unscrupulous people. Besides, culverts, box culverts and drains have choked due to absence of care and maintenance. As a result, there is hardly any outlet for rainwater to pass. Only one or two hours rain is enough to cause water-logging in the capital exposing the people to sufferings. Rainy season has not yet set in, when it will; incessant rain for days together may cause severe water-logging triggering immense sufferings for the city-dwellers.
Of the many problems that have bedeviled the city, water-logging and traffic jam have assumed an intolerable limit. The drainage system in the capital is dysfunctional due to clogging of the drains. No sustainable initiative has been taken to address the water-logging problem in Dhaka city. Another menace is the digging and re-digging of city roads without rhyme or reason. What is surprising is that various utility service providing authorities do this job during monsoon bringing additional sufferings for the people. This is sheer drainage of the state money.
The works on the Mouchak-Moghbazar flyover is going on very slowly. As a result, movement of vehicles on the way is being disrupted seriously causing a lot of sufferings to the commuters. Heaps of mud, bricks and brick-chips, sand and pipes lying helter-skelter have narrowed the roads, causing severe traffic congestion. Scores of passengers of buses and other vehicles are getting stranded on the roads due to unbearable traffic jam. This is taking a toll on their valuable time, energy and life-span. Many people are falling sick on the way.
The government should revive the grabbed natural canals immediately. The choked manmade drains should be activated for free flow of rainwater. More box culverts should be constructed in the city and the existing choked ones should be cleaned. Setting up of more pump houses for pumping out water for removing water-logging is also needed. After taking over the responsibilities by the two city mayors, people expected a lot from them. It is the responsibility of the mayors to address the problems of the city-dwellers pragmatically. Mere utterance of rhetoric will not do, those should be translated into action for the welfare of the taxpayers.
