Coordinated planning and execution of projects must for capital Dhaka

Despite being a mega city, capital Dhaka is yet to have an efficient road and drainage system that could ensure smooth movement of traffic and quick flow of surplus water from the city to nearby water bodies. The road network and the drainage services have taken a severe blow amid the onslaught of digging being conducted by various service providers of the two city corporations. Ongoing work on development projects such as the Metro Rail has further deteriorated the situation.
According to a news report published in a national daily on Monday, as soon as the capital began witnessing its usual flow of pedestrians and vehicles after the government relaxed Covid-19 restrictions last month, gridlocks gradually became a common occurrence in city thoroughfares. The worst victims of this situation are daily commuters, especially those who go to and from their offices. Roads in at least 40 areas in the city have been cut for development activities. Once a road is dug for the maintenance of sewerage or drainage lines, it normally takes several weeks to bring back its normal shape. As a result, even a moderate rain causes knee-to-waist waterlogging at different spots in the city, adding to the sufferings of city dwellers.
City planners, however, blame this on the slow pace of work and lack of coordination among the agencies concerned. It does not take much research work to tell us that Dhaka has lost its urban character. The city has become a place where every element of life – earth, water and air – has been poisoned. The land is strewn with garbage while the drains are choked with plastic bags. The streets are bucked, the footpath broken, the air thick and un-breathable. Commuters are to come upon severe tailbacks. Many fear that the current disarray in Dhaka’s traffic system would worsen and cause more trouble to commuters, students and their guardians if the schools reopen on the 12th of this month.
This is high time policymakers think about long-term solutions to the city’s problems. There should be a unified authority to look after the planning, development and management of Dhaka’s roads and drainage systems. But most importantly pressure of people on Dhaka must also be eased through administrative and fiscal decentralisation.