Speakers at a seminar on Sunday recommended implementing a project to save four rivers around Dhaka and 43 canals with the help of the army to solve waterlogging problem.
The recommendations were made at the seminar on 'Barriers to Solving Waterlogging of the Capital and the Way Out' held at the CIRDAP auditorium in the city.
City Development Journalists' Forum (CDJF), in collaboration with Plan International Bangladesh and Social and Economic Enhancement Programme (SEEP), jointly organised the seminar.
Member of the parliamentary standing committee on local government ministry, Fazle Hossain Badsha, was present as the chief guest at the programme chaired by CDJF president Amitosh Paul.
Chairman of Institute of Water and Environment M Inamul Haque presented a keynote paper.
Fazle Hossain Badsha said the total economy of the country is centred on Dhaka.
People from other districts migrate to Dhaka to get jobs in mills and factories. This trend should be changed to save the city.
"The pressure of the overpopulation on Dhaka city should be reduced. The trend of Dhaka-centric development has to be broken," he said.
The navigability of four rivers-- Buriganga, Balu, Turag and Shitalakhya-- must be increased by dredging them, he said.
All the canals must be reclaimed, but it is a tough job, he said.
"The canals are grabbed by influential people who can even change a government," the politician added.
Panel mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation Jamal Mostafa said the rivers around the city cannot hold rainwater.
The Buriganga River is full of solid waste and Balu and Turag rivers are encroached, he said.
"I never saw dredging in the Buriganga in my lifetime. There were 70-75 canals in Dhaka, but now we find the sign of only 43 canals," Jamal Mostafa added.
He suggested undertaking a project to increase the navigability of the rivers by dredging those and reclaiming 43 canals with the help of the army.
He criticised the National Housing Authority (NHA) and the Ministry of Land for taking up a government officer's quarter project and a housing project at Bhasantek by filling the water body.
The High Court and the Prime Minister have instructed the authority concerned not to fill any water body in the city, he pointed out.
Plan International Bangladesh Country Director Orla Murphy said there are about 18 million people in the city. The number of people has been growing at a rate of 4.0 per cent annually. "It is high time to solve the city's problem," she added.
Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Khan Mohammed Belal alleged the authorities tasked with saving the rivers and canals are not discharging their duty sincerely.
There are laws, but there is no enforcement of laws, resulting in encroachment of the rivers and canals, he said.
Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Superintendent Engineer Sharif Uddin said the monsoon season has been prolonged from two months to six months due to climate change.
It is very difficult to drain out additional rainwater through the 2,000-km drainage network from the densely-populated 146 square kilometre city.
He suggested reclaiming the canals by the army after identifying those through CS/RS record.
Bangladesh Institute of Planners (BIP) General Secretary Adil Mohammed Khan said the city has lost its water carrying capacity.
Return on investment (ROI) in any city with a population of over 7.0 million will be less, he said, adding still the government has been investing in Dhaka city, he said.
"We are observing with grave concern that the government is paying more attention to mega projects. The public sufferings and the environment are not being taken into consideration."
He said an ideal city should have 12-15 per cent water retention area and 20-25 per cent open space.
Waterlogging crisis will be solved if the capacity of the present drainage network can be increased to 80-90 per cent from 50 per cent, he observed.
Detailed Area Plan (DAP) Project Director Ashraful Islam said Water Development Board acquired 50-100 acres of land as water retention area and canal as per the recommendation made by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Flood Action Plan (FAP).
But the land acquisition price has gone up abnormally in Dhaka for which no agency is willing to go ahead, he added.
But they will have to acquire land to solve some of the city's problems now as the cost of land acquisition will go even higher in the future, he warned.
DWASA Director AKM Shahid Uddin said Dhaka city has only 2.0 per cent water retention area against recommended 12-15 per cent.
He brushed aside all the allegations brought against WASA and said they regularly clean the canals, and no box culvert is clogged with solid waste.
In the keynote paper, Inamul Haque said DWASA has been dumping sewage and industrial waste through the drainage network into the rivers without treating those, polluting the surrounding rivers of the city.
He suggested reclaiming the clogged and encroached canals and widening those as per the design, he added.
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