Urban lake loses its charm

Hatirjheel was built to be one of Dhaka’s most visible urban renewal projects: a lake, road network, drainage basin, transport route and recreation zone in the middle of the capital.

Today, large parts of it tell a different story. Black water, floating plastic, foamy residue, green algae and a strong stench have turned sections of the lake into a public health and environmental concern.

Additional Director General (Current Charge) of the Department of Environment, Md. Ziaul Haque told The New Nation that the Department of Environment is working jointly with RAJUK and the City Corporation—in accordance with the law—to prevent pollution in Hatirjheel’s water and to maintain the area’s overall environment and ecosystem.

Recent observations reported from the area show dirty water entering Hatirjheel through drains connected to Gulshan Lake, Karwan Bazar and Begunbari. In several points, including FDC intersection, Begunbari, Niketan and Rampura, the water has reportedly turned black, while green algae and foam are visible on the surface.

The situation has also affected public use of the lake. Hatirjheel’s four water bus terminals once served around 50,000 passengers a day, but the number has dropped to about 20,000, a 60 percent fall, according to operators cited in a 2025 report. Drivers said plastic, food packets and other floating waste frequently get stuck in boat engines, making regular trips difficult.

A 2023 study published in Nature Environment and Pollution Technology tested nine water samples from Hatirjheel during the dry season and found dissolved oxygen levels between 2.7 and 5.5 mg/L, with a mean of 4.42 mg/L.

The study noted that some points were below the healthy aquatic ecosystem standard of more than 5-6 mg/L, meaning the lake water was not good enough for human use and still needed biological water-quality improvement.

Low dissolved oxygen is important because it indicates that a water body is struggling to support aquatic life. When untreated sewage and organic waste enter a lake, microorganisms consume oxygen while decomposing the waste.

That process can leave less oxygen for fish and other organisms, while also creating conditions for foul smell, algae growth and ecological decline.

Another study on Hatirjheel’s surface water recorded visible signs of pollution. Researchers found deep green, green, light green and grey water in different parts of the lake.

The same study recorded several types of odour, including strong and very strong bad smell at multiple sampling points. It also noted that lake water should ideally have no smell under relevant standards, but Hatirjheel’s water contained strong bad odour in several locations.

Hatirjheel’s pollution problem is not only aesthetic. The lake is part of Dhaka’s drainage system and covers about 302 acres across Tejgaon, Moghbazar and Rampura.

Research describes the Hatirjheel-Begunbari Khal system as Dhaka’s largest and most significant drainage system, carrying roughly one-third of the city’s stormwater. That makes the lake important not just for recreation, but for flood control and urban water management.

The design and management challenge has become more visible over time. Hatirjheel-Begunbari was inaugurated in 2013 as a major urban development project.

The project cost more than Tk2,000 crore and that responsibility shifted to Rajuk in June 2021.

Despite an annual maintenance budget of more than Tk10 crore, water quality has continued to deteriorate, largely because cleanup drives cannot stop the constant inflow of wastewater.

Microplastic pollution has added another layer of concern. A 2026 report citing a study published in Heliyon said Dhanmondi, Gulshan and Hatirjheel lakes are heavily contaminated with microplastics in water, sediment and fish.

Researchers found that Gulshan and Hatirjheel act as sinks for microplastics because they receive large volumes of urban runoff and have limited water outflow. The study identified common plastic polymers such as HDPE, PVC, polycarbonate and polypropylene.

The wider crisis is linked to Dhaka’s sanitation and waste-management gap. In February 2026, the World Bank approved $370 million in financing to improve sanitation and solid waste management in Dhaka and surrounding areas.

The programme aims to provide safely managed sanitation services to 550,000 people and improved solid waste management services to 500,000 people, reflecting how serious the capital’s water pollution problem has become.

For Hatirjheel, experts say the solution cannot be limited to surface cleaning. Floating garbage can be removed, but the smell, algae, black water and microbial contamination will return if sewage continues to enter the lake.

The long-term fix requires separating sewerage lines from stormwater drains, blocking illegal waste connections, installing proper treatment before water enters the lake, monitoring water quality regularly, and creating a single accountable authority for lake management.

Hatirjheel was planned as a breathing space for Dhaka. Its current condition shows how quickly an urban lake can decline when drainage, sewage, waste and maintenance systems fail to work together. Without structural intervention, the lake will remain less a recreational landmark and more a visible warning of Dhaka’s unresolved urban pollution crisis.