Set up drainage system to remove sufferings of the city dwellers from waterlogging

Several hours of rain from Wednesday evening left many areas in capital Dhaka underwater and several thousand home-bound people in the night were thrown into indescribable sufferings. Now the question of why there is not a minimum drainage system in this densely populated city.

To resolve the waterlogging of Dhaka there is no dearth of preparation — big promises, small projects, big projects and large allocations.

But as there is no scientific or holistic plan, the sufferings of the citizens have been augmented manifold. As the traffic system collapsed the whole city almost became dysfunctional.

The people returning home faced an incredible amount of suffering. Even the city’s most busy Kalshi Road, Mirpur was under waist-deep water on Wednesday midnight.

It is to be noted that the main responsibility of resolving the waterlogging was handed over from the WASA to two city corporations – DSCC and DNCC in 2021. With heavy rain, the waterlogging in the roads and streets of Dhaka is not unusual.

But why should they not drain out water within a tolerable time? The two corporations have everything they require to drain away the water including the high capacity pumps, but these pumps are not utilised properly and the citizens cannot get out of the vicious cycle of suffering.

After the rain, water inside Dhaka flows to adjacent river bodies through pump houses, sluice gates and canals.

The pump stations could not pump out according to their capacities.

The reason is that the drains and box culverts that are supposed to carry the water to the pump station are clogged up.

Although Dhaka is the most densely populated city in the world and seventh in terms of population, some parts of its drainage network were established before independence while some other parts were established in the nineties.

But most of the 58 canals registered in the district administration’s documents have been filled and encroached already by powerful influential.

Despite various attempts on several occasions for regaining these canals, the situation did not change much.

And the surrounding rivers including Buriganga have also been pushed towards a deadly state through encroachment and pollution.

We want that instead of big talks take steps to restore water bodies, dig canals and clean the culverts regularly.