Dhaka faces danger

The capital Dhaka is faced with a grave danger in the near future. According to experts, Dhaka city, the centre of administration, politics ,commerce and culture in Bangladesh, faces a grim prospect of total collapse within a decade, due to unplanned urbanization, absence of civic facilities, and burden of excessive population. At present, approximately 15 million people live in this city, and a huge number of people will be migrating to it in coming years, seeking employment opportunities. As poor people have been migrating to the city with dreams of a better life, poverty will increase in the coming decades, and that will aggravate various forms of chaos in the city. About 40 per cent of the city dwellers live in slums; that rate will increase in the future. The city's environment is already threatened. Pollution will increase and water supply and sanitation facilities in Dhaka might collapse under the excessive pressure of city dwellers. Unless migration is planned, Dhaka will turn into a city of ruins, where people will risk losing their living environment. Under these circumstances, a comprehensive plan should be drawn up and implement it to get rid of the bad name of world's second worst city and also to make Dhaka a modern city with all facilities and amenities of the 21st century. Mohammed Jashim Uddin Dhaka. E-mail: juctg2008@gmail.com