Hatirjheel’s Beauty Under Threat: Pollution Endangers Dhaka’s Waterfront Dream
As evening falls, Hatirjheel begins to glow. Lights stretch along the waterfront, people gather for a walk, families spend time beside the lake and the open space offers a rare break from Dhaka’s crowded streets.
But beneath the attractive urban landscape, another picture is emerging.
In parts of Hatirjheel, polluted water, waste accumulation, inadequate drainage and an unpleasant smell are raising concerns about the environmental health of the lake.
A place created to provide the capital with a cleaner urban environment is now struggling with pollution generated by the rapidly growing city around it.
From neglected water body to urban landmark
Hatirjheel was not always the popular recreational destination it is today. Before its development, the area was a low-lying water body and drainage zone that had suffered from encroachment, waste disposal and poor management.
The Hatirjheel-Begunbari integrated development project was undertaken to restore the area, improve drainage and water-retention capacity, ease traffic congestion and create public recreational facilities. The project was formally opened to the public in January 2013.
The development included roads, bridges, footpaths, lakeside walkways, drainage facilities, a sewer network and waterfront spaces.
The project was therefore intended to be more than an urban beautification scheme.
Its water system was supposed to remain an important part of Dhaka’s drainage and environmental infrastructure.
More than a decade later, the condition of that water system has become a major concern.
When sewage enters the lake
One of the most serious problems is the connection between Hatirjheel and the surrounding drainage and sewerage network.
A 2022 study found that Hatirjheel receives discharge through nine combined sewer overflow structures.
The researchers found poor water quality throughout the year, with the situation becoming particularly serious during the wet season when rainwater mixes with sewage and overflows into the lake.
High concentrations of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand were recorded, while ammonia levels also increased during the rainy period.
Research has also identified the mixing of sewage with stormwater and the pressure created by expanding urban drainage networks as important challenges for the lake’s water-management system.
Waste, drainage and the surrounding city
Hatirjheel cannot be separated from the neighbourhoods around it.
Residential buildings, commercial establishments, roads and drainage channels surround the lake.
As the city has expanded, the amount of wastewater and solid waste generated around the area has also increased.
Poor drainage management can allow polluted water to reach the lake, particularly during heavy rainfall.
Waste dumped into drains can obstruct water flow and eventually become part of the lake’s pollution load.
Plastic bottles, polythene, food packaging and other solid waste also damage the appearance of the waterfront and can contribute to ecological degradation.
The problem is therefore not limited to the lake itself.
It is part of a wider environmental-management challenge involving sewage, drainage, waste collection, urban development and regular maintenance.
The smell people cannot ignore
For visitors, scientific measurements are not always necessary to understand that something is wrong.
The smell can be enough.
When organic waste accumulates and polluted water remains in poorly circulating sections, unpleasant odours can develop.
This affects people who come to walk, exercise, sit beside the water or spend time with their families.
The problem also undermines the purpose of the waterfront.
A walkway beside a polluted and foul-smelling lake cannot offer the same recreational value as a clean, well-maintained waterfront.
Proper walkways and public access are equally important.
Even though the original project included extensive footpaths and lakeside walkways, their usefulness depends on regular maintenance, cleanliness, safe access and a healthy surrounding environment.
What pollution means for Hatirjheel
The environmental consequences can be serious.
High organic pollution and low dissolved oxygen can place aquatic life under stress.
Excess nutrients can also encourage excessive algae growth, a process known as eutrophication, which can further reduce oxygen availability and disturb the ecological balance.
The social consequences are visible as well. Pollution reduces the quality of a major public space and can discourage people from using parts of the waterfront.
Residents living nearby have to deal with odour and an unpleasant environment, while visitors lose an important recreational asset.
There is also an economic consequence.
Clean water could create a stronger waterfront economy
A cleaner Hatirjheel could create opportunities beyond environmental improvement.
An attractive, odour-free waterfront may encourage visitors to stay longer and return more frequently.
That can create a stronger customer base for properly planned restaurants, cafes, food outlets, small shops, recreational services and other businesses in suitable surrounding areas.
Existing businesses could also benefit from greater pedestrian movement and visitor activity.
But commercial growth should not mean uncontrolled construction or waste generation.
Any expansion of waterfront businesses would need proper waste-management facilities, drainage, pedestrian access and environmental safeguards.
In this sense, pollution control could create a positive cycle: cleaner water ? better public experience ? greater visitor activity ? more opportunities for local businesses.
What needs to change?
Restoring Hatirjheel requires more than periodic cleaning.
Untreated sewage and wastewater must be prevented from entering the lake.
Stormwater and sewage systems need better separation, drainage channels must be monitored and illegal or inappropriate discharge points need to be identified and addressed.
Regular water-quality testing should also be strengthened, including monitoring of dissolved oxygen, BOD, nutrients and other pollutants across different seasons and locations.
Solid-waste management must improve around the lake and its connecting drains. Public awareness is important, but it must be supported by effective collection systems and enforcement against dumping.
The surrounding public spaces also need continuous maintenance, including walkways, greenery, lighting, seating and waste facilities.
Most importantly, environmental management must be coordinated among the agencies responsible for urban development, drainage, sewerage, waste management and environmental protection.
The future of an urban dream
Hatirjheel was developed to give Dhaka better drainage, public space, recreation and a healthier urban environment.
Its transformation showed how a neglected water body could become one of the capital’s most recognisable landmarks.
The next challenge is to protect that transformation.
Hatirjheel cannot remain environmentally successful if its water system is allowed to deteriorate.
Clean water, functioning drainage, responsible waste management and accessible public spaces must remain at the centre of its future.
If that happens, Hatirjheel could offer Dhaka more than a beautiful evening view.
It could become a healthier public space, a functioning urban water system and a waterfront where environmental improvement and local economic opportunity grow together.
(The writer is a student of British Council)
