Editorial Desk :
Since its opening as a prime recreational spot for the millions of Dhaka residents, Hatirjheel emerged like a breath of fresh air in the concrete jungle of the capital. It could be an attraction of the tourists if rightly maintained.
But its present sorry state is causing significant discomfort for locals and visitors due to unabated pollution.
More frustratingly, the ongoing illegal earth filling by the Dhaka Elevated Expressway has now been upsetting the urban and environmental specialists to raise their voices against such uncaring happening at the nose of the city authorities.
An English newspaper on Saturday reported that the authority of the project was filling the Hatirjheel waterbody at Eskaton with sand. Already a portion of the lake was filled with sand to construct pillars for the expressway despite concerns raised by experts.
Hatirjheel has then been recognised as the ‘lungs of Dhaka’ by the High Court, as it helps mitigate flooding and reduce air pollution in the city. But only a few months later, the project began to lose its charm because of the capital’s poor waste management system.
The dumping of solid waste along with the outflow of sewage into the lake has created environmental hazards for the residents of the area for quite some time now.
It was a pride achievement of the then caretaker government. A large portion of the land was occupied by the land grabbers.
The urban development experts, therefore, highlighted the potential environmental impact of the elevated expressway construction and the violation of water conservation law. The recent earth-filling of a portion of the lake puts itself and the surrounding areas at risk of waterlogging.
The environmentalists also called such illegal filing a “suicidal” one and questioned how such a project could be implemented without coordination with the relevant authorities as per the Town Improvement Act of 1953.
The construction work of the expressway will not only affect Hatirjheel and Panthakunja Park but also severely disrupt traffic and livelihoods in the surrounding areas.
More appalling is that the government agencies such as Rajuk and the Department of Environment (DoE) have failed to take necessary action to prevent the filling.
The waste management system in a growing city is a challenge that must be planned well in line with the city’s expansion and its beauty.
So, there is no time to waste on deliberations anymore. We urge that the authorities to get serious and do everything necessary to save Hatirjheel project for its usefulness and beauty.
