No way to make Dhaka a planned city anymore

FE Team | Published: May 04, 2024 22:37:30

FE REPORT
There is no way to transform Dhaka into a modern and planned city at this point, urban planners have said, stressing an urgent need for preventing its total collapse by adopting a comprehensive master plan.
However, they have urged appropriation of urban planners in the government's infrastructure as well as overall development planning to prevent out of hand cases like Dhaka.
The call came from the planning dialogue titled "Warming of Dhaka: Urban Planning and Development Management, Responsibilities and Required Actions" organised by the Bangladesh Institute of Planners (BIP) at its head office in the capital on Saturday.
Addressing the function, BIP President Prof Dr Adil Mohammed Khan said that greenery has reduced to just 7.0 per cent while water bodies to 2.9 per cent in the last 28 years which should be 25 per cent and 15 per cent respectively.
He said the unplanned infrastructure development in Dhaka, along with other municipalities and cities, which is ravaging agricultural land, water bodies, and giving a rise to concrete jungles.
Mr Khan said the BIP sorted out 27 key reasons for the rising temperature in Dhaka city.
Consequently, the situation has been steadily deteriorating, he also says.
According to studies, the average temperature of Dhaka has risen by 5.0-6.0 degrees in the last 10 years, BIP Secretary Sheikh Muhammad Mehedi Ahsan said.
He also says the global warming is not responsible for the rise in Dhaka's temperature, rather it is man-made.
Mr Ahsan mentioned that the two city corporations have been adopting master plans and the government has formulated a national adaptation plan, country investment plan, DAM and others.
Both the city and the country now require a comprehensive government approach involving people from all relevant sectors, he says.
The BIP secretary has pointed out that urban planners are currently not included in the government's development or infrastructure planning.
He also says that all development plans should involve urban and regional planners.
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