Artificial structures — eyesore on Gulshan Lake

Water bodies in Dhaka city are crucially important for recharging and replenishing the underground water. Gulshan Lake is an invaluable water reservoir in the city. It helps to control temperature and moisture in the surroundings and supports large varieties of biodiversities and habitats of the area. It can also provide water transport facilities supporting the people's socio-economic needs in the area. Basically, it is used by humans for many commercial purposes, including transportation, irrigation, industrial water supplies, and receiving water for wastewater effluents.  

The lake also acts as a recreational spot and offers opportunities for tourism development. But the way it is being developed now is thoroughly unplanned and may cause disaster to the lake because too many structures will destroy the natural beauty of the lake. The artificial structures will severely tell upon the natural beauty of the lake. Besides, it should be noted that these structures are being raised violating the laws as envisaged in the Wetland Protection Act, and Environment Protection Act and Environment Protection Rules.

The Gulshan Lake has been declared as an "ecologically critical area" under the Bangladesh Environment Conservation Act, 1995 and as per the Rules, any development work should be preceded by prior permission from Department of Environment. The development work should have been subject to open tender, which was not done.  

On the issue of Urban Water Bodies, Poribesh Bachau Andolan (POBA) organised a discussion meeting recently where POBA Founder, environmentalist Abu Naser Khan said, "Many illegal structures are being built there, wedging the city's important recreational spot and hindering the biodiversity, habitats and natural beauty".

In the same meeting, Advocate Syed Mahabubul Alam, Director, Work for a Better Bangladesh (WBB) Trust commented, "If we are able to connect this channel for water transportation, then it will help control traffic congestion without devastating the ecosystem."

If the structures are for recreational purposes, these should be pedestrian-friendly and should not be meant to facilitate movement of cars or any other kind of motorised vehicles. The construction of the bridge filling up Gulshan Lake is affecting the environment and intensifying traffic congestion in that area.

Gulshan Lake suffers from high level of pollution. It is one of the few remaining water bodies in Dhaka city. During the dry season, pollution reaches its worst level. Lack of proper maintenance of existing drainage system, unsystematic drainage outlets that dispose untreated domestic and commercial waste are causing serious threat to the very existence of the lake. Added to these, construction of structures and bridges has degraded the overall landscape of the lake. Influential persons having link to political leaders are engaged in encroaching on Gulshan Lake, posing great threat to the life of the lake. Similarly, unauthorised occupants by constructing temporary and permanent structures have encroached some of the lake side areas which has become very much hazardous to the environment.

The writers are environmental activists.

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