During this monsoon there were several days when many people were forced to literally wade their way through flooded streets as heavy rains led to a virtual paralysing of many parts in Dhaka city with stranded vehicles causing severe traffic jam. Well Dhaka already is known for its notoriously long tailbacks. But on the days it rained heavily traffic jams were really atrocious even by Dhaka standards.Dealing with water logging in the capital
Even after the rain stops the water take hours to drain. This proves that the drainage system is simply not functioning properly
Syed Mehdi Momin
During this monsoon there were several days when many people were forced to literally wade their way through flooded streets as heavy rains led to a virtual paralysing of many parts in Dhaka city with stranded vehicles causing severe traffic jam. Well Dhaka already is known for its notoriously long tailbacks. But on the days it rained heavily traffic jams were really atrocious even by Dhaka standards.
Especially water logging is mostly observed in the neighbourhoods of Shantinagar, Mouchak, Shahbag, Farmgate, and Banani. Even after the rain stops the water take hours to drain. This proves that the drainage system is simply not functioning properly for swift water removal. In these days in a modern city such a situation should not be expected. However in Bangladesh one learns to expect the unexpected and also live with it.
More perplexing is the fact that the capital witnesses severe water logging even after brief spells of rain, throwing life out of gear. Almost on an annual basis Dhaka WASA and the two city corporations trade blame over the recurrent failure to keep the 360 square km capital free from water logging in rainy days.
The three entities repeated the same old story that none of them controlled the facilities for the drainage of the entire capital. The blame game does little good to the residents as they see no progress in bringing the capitals drainage system under a single authority, though a move was initiated in this direction more that a decade back.
Increased traffic jams due to water logging caused terrible sufferings to office and school goers and other commuters. Many pedestrians fell into manholes without covers as they had just gone under clogged water. Its a routine plight of the residents during monsoons, said residents, the only difference being water logging increased on broken and ill maintained streets and lanes. Apparently there is no one to address the recurring problem. People are forced to wade through on several streets and lanes even in posh neighbourhoods. Acute water logging disrupted normal life in most areas of the capital.
Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority has the responsibility to look after the drainage of 39 per cent area of the capital. DWASA with its 10 km of box culverts and four pumping stations drains 140 square km of the 360-square km capital into 65km open canals. DWASAs drainage pumping stations are located at Dholaikhal, Kallayanpur, Rampura and Janapath. The two city corporations maintain around 2,500 km of surface drains and around 4,000 km of underground drains.
According to experts until and unless DWASA recovered its 26 canals there could be no improvement of the situation. WASAs clogged outlets obstruct the passage of water into its canals and WASA rarely if ever cleans its outlets. As said earlier the situation can improve only if the three entities worked together. On July 11, 2003, the government decided to bring the drainage system either under the control of either then Dhaka City Corporation or DWASA. There has been no progress on the issue ever since.
A total of Tk 303 crore was spent in last four years of the project launched for reducing the water logging problem of the capital city Dhaka. But what is the outcome of the project? On May 24, an only 34 millimeter rainfall was witnessed while only 20 millimeter on May 25, created water logging in several areas of Dhaka. Similarly, on June 25 2 milimetre rain caused massive water logging in 20 areas of Dhaka including the old part of the city. Dhaka WASA source claimed that crores of taka was spent for a smooth drainage system. So far, in five months of this year, WASA authorities got Tk 20 crore in three phases.
Garbage keeps piling on the roadside or beside the drains and many manholes are kept uncovered. So the solid waste is washed into the drains after rainfalls. Thus hundred crores of taka is wasted in the name of sewerage clean up. It is vital to clear the drains before the rainy season. Besides, Dhaka WASA should ensure transparency of the drainage clean up fund.
Now when it rains in Dhaka rather than people being out on the streets singing and dancing in the rain, they have to worry about flooded major connecting roads, water logging and falling trees. The situation is quite similar in other parts of country as well.
A major cause of the problem is that cities have become less dependent on their own water sources. The number of water bodies in all major cities has drastically come down over the last three decades. The builder-politician nexus has knowingly and intentionally suffocated the citys open spaces for commercial purposes. This loss of and subsequent commercialization and concretization of open spaces has meant that water, which previously could seep into the soil has practically nowhere to go, leading to flooding.
These floodplains and lakes in the low-lying parts of a city, did not just fulfil the water needs of a city, but also drained it off the excess rain water. When construction blocked the path of water, it led to water-logging on the city roads.
The blame then fell on the storm water drains which in most cases, were designed very long ago and were not capable of handling the excess.
Dhakas drainage system was designed in the early 20th century for a maximum rainfall of 25 mm per hour, assuming that half the rain would be absorbed by the soil and only half would flow into the drainage system.
With the onset of rampant and indiscriminate urbanization, most areas are now paved, concreted or asphalted. As a result very little rainwater is absorbed into the ground. Thus even at one inch per hour, the drainage system has to cope with almost twice its intended capacity. Natural drainage or the slope of a city was never kept in mind when cities were planned.
The government should start cleaning drains in February at least so that passage for rain water is clear. But they wake up only in May when monsoon is right in the face and then too, debris collected from the drain is left on the banks of water bodies for it to flow back when rain comes.
Water harvesting in lakes and ponds is a time-tested solution and need of the hour, not just to mitigate floods but also to fulfil our water requirements locally. Rain water is actually meant to become ground water so every citizen has to take the initiative to recharge it. When somebody constructs a house it is their responsibility to take care of the excess water from that plot of land, which would otherwise go into a storm water drain or else create water-logging around the plot.
The solution is a proper rain water harvesting system in the house itself. It would not just replenish ground water but also improve its quality and mitigate flooding. Five per cent of any built up area, be it an apartment complex or individual house, if used for rainwater harvesting, can mitigate floods and also reduce water bills. Some towns in Germany have made it mandatory for construction projects to take responsibility for their excess run-off or pay more for putting pressure on storm water drains.
Rain water harvesting is what all individuals can do but the administration can contribute to this effort as well. Storm water drains could be utilized as water harvesting measure rather than just act as carriers of excess water to the sea. Recharge wells can be constructed in open spaces around storm water drains. Water in drains can be intercepted and directed to these wells. In areas where open spaces are not available, recharge wells can be dug in the drain itself under the man-hole so that it can be cleaned also from time to time.
Every drop of rainwater contributes to floods, so permeable gravel or stone lined parking spaces and footpaths that can absorb water rather than concretized floor would also help. And there is no substitute to planting trees in whatever area is available to promote absorption of water and control run-off of soil. The incidents of water-logging in Dhaka, other cities and rural areas have been worsening every monsoon due to the fact that effective prevention measures are not undertaken or executed properly by the designated authorities.
Even though the issue of water logging hits the headlines and the authorities concerned repeatedly admit their inability to tackle it and pledge better action and preparedness, we dont see urgency in government officials to work for an end to the massive hindrance of public life by carrying out effective long, medium or short-term measures.
Water-logging has a serious impact on public health as rain water mixes with dumped waste, toxins of the drains and even weak sewerage systems. In many areas, water supply connections are contaminated and people have to go far to collect drinking water. People often face common skin diseases, malaria and water-borne diseases.
Initiating development activities in the dry season is a major step the government has to take breaking the age-old malpractice. Theres no alternative to coordination among the related agencies and individuals in planning and execution of the comprehensive work plans to protect the people of the country. We need to ensure a sustainable society where the citizens would not be devastated by natural disasters due to a handful of brutal and greedy officials lack of affection for mankind. It is perhaps the incredible and natural abundance of water in Bangladesh that has resulted in many of the environmental concern that Bangladesh faces today. The dual forces of the topography and ecology of Bangladesh have certainly shaped water logging as a natural problem, but this cannot be cited as the only reason. In fact, it is a dangerous inclination to leave the solution to water logging in the hands of nature hoping it will take care of itself.
Water logging in Dhaka can also be considered a result of poor river management and in general, failed water management projects over decades, making it a primarily a human induced issue. In fact, most modern environmental problems are human induced, resulting either from a lack of compliance with national policies, rules and regulations, or from resource constraints to implement different measures.
The case for taking action against water logging in Dhaka must further be framed through an economic lens. It is well recognised that flooding and water logging has severe impacts on local businesses and commerce.
The writer is Assistant Editor of The Independent and can be contacted at: [email protected]
