Drive to revive Dhaka’s lost canals, ponds

The government has taken an initiative to reclaim and restore 56 canals and 62 ponds in Dhaka through the two city corporations, aiming to ease chronic waterlogging, improve drainage and revive the capital’s deteriorating environment.

The city’s natural waterways and water bodies have gradually disappeared due to unplanned urbanisation, illegal occupation, landfilling and construction of residential and commercial structures, disrupting natural drainage and worsening environmental degradation.

According to the National River Conservation Commission and Dhaka district administration, the capital has 56 canals, including 29 under Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and 27 under Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC). Many have been narrowed, blocked or almost completely filled through encroachment.

DSCC Administrator Md Abdus Salam said the corporation had undertaken the initiative to recover canal and pond lands to improve drainage, protect the environment and restore ecological balance. The plan includes removing illegal structures, demarcating canal boundaries and constructing guide walls along both banks to prevent further encroachment.

Major canals under DSCC include Manda, Jirani, Khilgaon-Basabo, Meradia-Gazaria, Nandipara, Kalunagar, Dholai Khal, Shyampur, Rayerbazar, Segunbagicha and Gopibagh. Work is underway to reclaim Shyampur, Manda, Jirani and Kalunagar canals, while the remaining waterways will be restored in phases.

In the DNCC area, major canals include Kallyanpur, Rupnagar, Baunia, Diabari, Abdullahpur, Ibrahimpur, Baishteki, Katasur, Ramchandrapur, Begunbari, Mohakhali, Shahjadpur, Dhour, Kasaibari, Dumni, Boalia, Gobindapur, Narai and Sutibhola. The corporation has initially started work on reclaiming 10 canals.

A recent field assessment found that canal lands had been occupied by residential buildings, apartments, shops, markets, workshops, vehicle garages, factories and warehouses, restricting natural water flow.

Department of Environment Deputy Director Sabrin Sultana said legal action would be taken against those dumping waste into canals and causing environmental pollution.

Dhaka University Department of Criminology Chairman and Assistant Professor Md Rezaul Karim Sohag said the disappearance of canals had obstructed the natural flow of rainwater towards rivers, contributing to recurring waterlogging.

He warned that preventing renewed encroachment would be the biggest challenge, as many previously reclaimed areas had been occupied again due to inadequate monitoring and maintenance.

The scale of the loss is evident in a government study presented in August. According to the Urban Development Directorate, surface water coverage in Dhaka and its surrounding areas declined by 83.4 per cent, from around 383 square kilometres in 1776 to just 64 square kilometres in 2025.