Flooded capital city
Friday, 31 July 2009
Mirza Md. Adwit Rahman
WATER logging has been very common in Dhaka city. Usually this happens in the sub-roads, lanes and by-lanes. People, throughout the year, people have to cross these areas holding their footwear in hands and pulling the trousers up to knees, particularly during the rainy season.
This suffering worsens in the rainy season when continuous and heavy rainfall submerges all the streets, roads and lanes up to the waist even in some cases. Over the past years, the drainage system of Dhaka city has proven to be inadequate. It cannot afford 333 mm of rainfall in a night, as we witnessed the other day, and thus we can see the untold troubles the people had to bear.
The people, especially the slum dwellers had to pack off for any higher land at midnight. The dwellers of the ground floors in the modern buildings also had to seek shelter in their neighbours' house. The gas and electricity lines were cut off which added further suffering to the people. The rickshaw pullers served the people by pulling the vehicles through chest-level water. Though the children enjoyed the swimming on the streets and roads, there was a high risk of being drowned. The students, guardians escorting their children and office-going people had to suffer for there was a total collapse of the transportation system.
In most cases, this happens because of the overflow of drain water from the sewerage lines or for the blockage of the drains. Not only the drainage system but also the indifferent and unconscious habits of the people are to blame for this. People throw their garbage here and there that results in the blockage of the drains. On the other hand, the sewerage lines under the roads are so narrow that only an hour of rainfall causes the overflow of the drains. The situation gets worse when we have to pass that, through stools and other wastes like dead rat or cat etc., amid unbearable bad smells from the water. There is always a high risk of any kind of accident taking place as most covers of the manholes are stolen and the roads are not smooth. Often people, while walking, are at risk of drowning under the open manholes. These circumstances tell us how the dwellers of this metropolitan city are passing their lives to where they had come for happiness and comfort.
But things are not so hard to solve. Though all the past governments assured us of an early remedy, we are yet to see any meaningful action. There is noted no effective effort to address the problem. Every year Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) sanctions a large amount of money for development of the city but the citizens do not get any benefit from such funds. A coordinated effort by Dhaka WASA and DCC can solve the problem easily. The only thing that is missing is the willingness of the authority to solve the problem, as they are mostly involved in corruption. The Prime Minister needs to give extra effort to solve this problem.
WATER logging has been very common in Dhaka city. Usually this happens in the sub-roads, lanes and by-lanes. People, throughout the year, people have to cross these areas holding their footwear in hands and pulling the trousers up to knees, particularly during the rainy season.
This suffering worsens in the rainy season when continuous and heavy rainfall submerges all the streets, roads and lanes up to the waist even in some cases. Over the past years, the drainage system of Dhaka city has proven to be inadequate. It cannot afford 333 mm of rainfall in a night, as we witnessed the other day, and thus we can see the untold troubles the people had to bear.
The people, especially the slum dwellers had to pack off for any higher land at midnight. The dwellers of the ground floors in the modern buildings also had to seek shelter in their neighbours' house. The gas and electricity lines were cut off which added further suffering to the people. The rickshaw pullers served the people by pulling the vehicles through chest-level water. Though the children enjoyed the swimming on the streets and roads, there was a high risk of being drowned. The students, guardians escorting their children and office-going people had to suffer for there was a total collapse of the transportation system.
In most cases, this happens because of the overflow of drain water from the sewerage lines or for the blockage of the drains. Not only the drainage system but also the indifferent and unconscious habits of the people are to blame for this. People throw their garbage here and there that results in the blockage of the drains. On the other hand, the sewerage lines under the roads are so narrow that only an hour of rainfall causes the overflow of the drains. The situation gets worse when we have to pass that, through stools and other wastes like dead rat or cat etc., amid unbearable bad smells from the water. There is always a high risk of any kind of accident taking place as most covers of the manholes are stolen and the roads are not smooth. Often people, while walking, are at risk of drowning under the open manholes. These circumstances tell us how the dwellers of this metropolitan city are passing their lives to where they had come for happiness and comfort.
But things are not so hard to solve. Though all the past governments assured us of an early remedy, we are yet to see any meaningful action. There is noted no effective effort to address the problem. Every year Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) sanctions a large amount of money for development of the city but the citizens do not get any benefit from such funds. A coordinated effort by Dhaka WASA and DCC can solve the problem easily. The only thing that is missing is the willingness of the authority to solve the problem, as they are mostly involved in corruption. The Prime Minister needs to give extra effort to solve this problem.