Water resource management and governance are major challenges for a megacity like capital Dhaka with a huge population, observed experts.
And, the issues need to be addressed in a planned way to have a new and livable Dhaka city; experts and academicians advocated at a seminar titled ‘The new megacity: for whom’ organised by Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) in the capital on Monday.
Experts discussed that migrants came for unplanned tenure and started living in the city, and the city has been coping up with the effects of many dwellers in a small space.
Dhaka is considered to be one of the least livable cities in the world. Experts cited example of other mega cities in the world like Jakarta that wants to move to a completely different island to address traffic congestions, water congestions, and so on.
Dr Imtiaz Hussain of IUB said, “One-fifth of the groundwater is gone. Beginning with the Turag river, it comes down to the Buriganga and then to the Sitalakhya. This area is completely littered with by-products of RMG (ready-made garment) factories…we are consuming so much of the water; however, the output is we let out intoxicants in the water.”
The rivers are eventually turning dead. It's not only India and Assam taking water away, there’s also China, he added.
Things that can help is government initiatives that included taking up megaprojects like developing highways so that shipments can be done faster, and special export processing zones where RMG industries can be shifted.
Dr Adrian Parr of University of Texas said that the city is struggling from the ground up, and so the planners need to adopt a multi-scale approach.
On the other hand, the growth of population living in slums is quite alarming; United Nations (UN) is predicting one in every four people will be living in slums and the disadvantaged communities struggle the most for basic amenities like water, mentioned Dr Parr.
Hossain Ahmed Taufiq of IUB said water-logging is responsible for diseases like dengue outbreak that baffled the citizens in recent months in Dhaka.
We need to examine the drainage system as the drainage system of households and storm water leading to the rivers to dump flood water is not adequate, Mr Taufiq added.
Traffic congestions in Dhaka consume about 3.2 million working hours every day, and with the poor livability the country loses 1.5 per cent of its GDP (gross domestic product), Jessica Tatila Suma Of IUB pointed out.
Cantonment can be considered an example where rules are being followed whereas Khulna city has no water-logging because the mayor channelled drainage system to a canal that was pre-cleaned. We need a more water sensitive infrastructure, she added.
Md Nadiruzzaman of IUB said that despite ban, the people of Bangladesh have been using plastic bags. Plastic use has been a major threat for public health and waste management.
