Chattogram city has been experiencing flooding during the monsoon for years together. But this year the problem has taken a turn for the worse with the city going underwater 10 times in the last seven months. This is a big headache for the authorities because Chattogram is home to the biggest port in the country and also a major commercial hub. So, when city roads go underwater for hours and days, not only does it give residents of the city a nightmarish time, but also causes long delays in shipment of goods to and from the port.
The authorities may claim that the situation is actually improving. Because apparently, the city was waterlogged 12 times last year and this year, it's 10 times. This is small consolation because the possibility of happening it a few more times is on the cards. Also the range and intensity of flooding are more expansive and deeper. Traders are at risk of losing their goods in wholesale and kitchen markets, which may severely disrupt the supply chains apart from hampering millions of people's daily life. The significant financial resources the port city authorities spent "to prevent flooding during heavy rains and tidal water in Chattogram" seems to have gone down the drain. How are these mitigation projects designed and implemented? Is there any coordination among the various agencies responsible for maintaining the city's instrastructure?
Press reports have it that there are two main authorities involved (under the aegis of the city corporation), i.e., Water Development Board and Chattogram Development Authority (CDA). Surely, the time has come to review how these agencies are implementing their respective projects - whether there is room for greater cooperation aimed at finding a more permanent solution to this chronic problem.
Sadly, heads of various agencies have been passing the blame on to someone else (or some other agency). This is bound to happen because each body is run like a fiefdom with its own agenda and own budgets. There is no pressure to coordinate efforts because there is no common goal. This is not their fault, rather the fault lies higher up the command structure. This happens when there is no accountability.
Although the government has its own monitoring and evaluation department named the IMED, it is doubtful that IMED will be forthcoming with its findings on the situation, especially in the light of what happened when it shared a report recently on the power situation. Reportedly, the people involved with the overseeing of that report preparation have been duly reprimanded (from an administrative point of view) and also castigated by a section of the press. Regardless of what was right or not right with that report, IMED is the government's own watchdog body. It is there to oversee that projects are designed and implemented to benefit the people. Such is the situation these days that the authorities often like to shoot the messenger, as opposed to taking some lessons and rectifying the situation so that people's lives are made a little easier.
This brings us back to the question of how our cities are governed. Decades ago, the erstwhile mayor of Dhaka city, Mohammad Hanif had suggested the concept of "metropolitan" government, whereby, utilities services would fall under the city authority's purview. Judging from the vehemence with which his proposal was criticised and shot down, citizens today are left with dysfunctional cities where apparently a lot of money is expended but no solutions are found. Perhaps it is time to revisit the past and see if things can be done differently from now on.
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