Liveability in Dhaka waning

Day by day, the historic Dhaka city, which has a tradition of over 400 years and for which we feel proud, is becoming really unfit for living. According to Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), the city has been termed the second worst city which is placed at the bottom of the 140 global cities only ahead of Harare in Zimbabwe while, Vancouver in Canada topped the list of the world's most liveable cities for the fifth straight year. Again, according to Mercer survey, Dhaka was the second worst city in 2009 as well. Emphasis was given on the categories like: infrastructure, healthcare, education, culture and environment. Vancouver scored 98, whereas, in a sharp contrast, the mega-city Dhaka only scored 38.7 getting less than average in all categories. The city of Vancouver is governed by a Mayor and 10 Councillors, all who serve a three-year term. Vancouver and its staff have won numerous awards for initiative and leadership quality in various programmes and activities. Whereas, the Dhaka city governance lags well behind as lack of coordination among various authorities is noticed clearly and even, at times, it is found that the same project is planned by both DCC and RAJUK. Vancouver is the eighth largest city in Canada with a population of 578,000 (2006 census) and an area of 114.7 sq km (44.3 sq miles), and has one of the mildest climates in Canada and thus population density (some 5000 per sq. km) as well as population growth rate is very low. On the other hand, Dhaka is burdened with more than 15 million people right now and which is going to be doubled by 2020, if current growth rate as well as rural-urban migration rate remains constant. Though, transportation in Vancouver has many of the features of modern cities worldwide, it has some interesting differences. Unlike many large metropolises, Vancouver has no expressways into or through the downtown area. A proposed expressway through the downtown was rejected in the 1960s by a coalition of citizens, community leaders and planners. The city has effective mass rapid transit as well as sky-train. As the city is surrounded by water, waterway is properly developed. Although similar to most other cities in that the automobile serves as the primary mode of transport, it does have alternatives, such as the longest automated light metro system in the world and an extensive network of bike routes and Bus Rapid Transit system. But with a population of over 15 million, Dhaka still doesn't have effective bus service let alone a mass rapid transit system. We could have utilised our waterways but due to the lack of planning and maintenance the water-bus service has nearly been suspended. Frequent power cut along with gas crisis for household as well as industries has become a normal phenomenon in Dhaka which is also a sign of deteriorating standard of living in Dhaka city. Where as, power supply, energy source and vice versa are really stable in the city of Vancouver. The city of Vancouver has one of the largest urban parks in North America which attracts thousands of people every year and locals enjoy spending the day or having a picnic there whenever they wish. There are many parks around Vancouver and many trails and hikes to enjoy. The gardens in and around the city are lush, colourful and always blooming. But the absence of sufficient parks and playgrounds is really a noticeable factor in Dhaka. Parks and playgrounds pay in the long run which can't be measured directly in terms of monetary value. Like many cities, Vancouver faces crime, but the crimes that are committed are mostly theft and break-ins, whereas living in Dhaka is really risky due to crime as well as extreme vandalism. Vancouver is a very clean city for the most part and it takes care of its main streets, parks and beaches and one will always catch someone picking up trash and putting it into a bin. The communities of Vancouver work together to keep it clean. But surprisingly, garbage is everywhere in Dhaka and we throw everything, which is useless, on the roads. At the same time, DCC, which is responsible for collecting trash, has shortage of manpower as well as garbage truck. Even though a project was taken to use compactor truck for efficient garbage handling, no progress is visible yet. That's why the city roads are dirty and major part of the city is full of noxious smell. Things are not over but the cases of sewerage and drainage system along with the polluted rivers around the mega-city is also a matter of serious concern. Most Vancouver companies recycle bottles, paper, plastic etc. They don't like to see someone littering in their beautiful city, so they keep it clean. The situation is really opposite in case of Dhaka even though, of late, company like Bashundhara has started to recycle papers for re-use. Vancouver's unemployment rate is only 6.0 per cent and its median household income (2006) is US$47,299. Dhaka is far away from that standard with an overwhelming proportion of people living in slums. Due to unplanned urbanisation, lack of civic facilities and burden of overpopulation, Dhaka's living standard is deteriorating clearly. Everybody will agree with the problems related to transport, housing, health, education, environment, fresh air and safe drinking water, law and order and security. Whereas, the Vancouver's example suggests that only proper and timely planning can make a city liveable and it is high time our authorities planned properly to make the city liveable and avoid the bad name of being the 2nd worst city and get relief from the ensuing dangers of climate change and disasters like tremors. The writer, an engineer, can be reached at e-mail: shafiq@iidfc.com