Paradoxically, Dhaka dwellers, on the one hand, have to endure scorching heat during the ongoing summer days in the absence of monsoon rain, while on the other, they have to face waterlogging whenever there is even a brief downpour that brings respite to their lives.
During the past few days, the capital has experienced heavy rainfall once or twice every day, causing waterlogging in many areas, including Green Road, Karwan Bazar, Panthapath, Malibagh Railgate, Mouchak, Moghbazar, Rampura, Khilgaon and Chowdhurypara. During Saturday's moderate rainfall, some parts of the city went under waist- to knee-deep water.
This, however, has been a fairly common feature of our beloved capital for years, if not decades, with little being done by successive governments to ameliorate the situation. As a result, city dwellers' sufferings know no bounds even after a moderate downpour.
The question now is why, every year during the monsoon, Dhaka experiences waterlogging under the very nose of the higher echelons of the authorities. The main reasons"encroachment on city canals and an inadequate drainage system"are well known to everybody. Notably, Dhaka's drainage system, which once consisted of a 2,211-kilometre network of drains"961 kilometres in the south and 1,250 kilometres in the north"has nearly been destroyed due to illegal occupation by politically influential people.
For this reason, the city's drainage network, originally comprising canals, lakes and other water bodies, has almost disappeared. Today, one can see skyscrapers, houses, factories and other structures standing on these natural water bodies. Whatever remains visible is clogged with waste, especially polyethylene and plastic materials.
Interestingly, cosmetic eviction drives against illegal occupiers of water bodies are occasionally carried out. However, they are often short-lived and abandoned halfway for reasons unknown. This creates the impression that these encroachers are more powerful than the very authorities tasked with removing them. Consequently, waterlogging appears destined to persist indefinitely.
Not too long ago, there were 65 natural canals across Dhaka city. Today, that number has dwindled to merely 26, and most of them are clogged with garbage and subject to illegal occupation.
Another serious crisis facing the city is air pollution, which usually worsens when the dry spell is prolonged. This is not only worrisome but also potentially fatal, as Dhaka has become an almost unlivable city, with its air quality frequently ranking among the worst in the world. Air pollution across the country has become the deadliest environmental concern, with hundreds of thousands of people suffering from its adverse effects every year. According to estimates, air pollution claims nearly seven million lives worldwide annually.
In the end, we can say that rain brings a spell of relief, but it also causes waterlogging, seriously disrupting traffic movement across the city. How long will this crisis linger? The new government, which has touted its canal-digging initiatives across the country, now needs to excavate and restore the city's canals in the interest of its residents.
