Water-logging in Dhaka city

A country is known by the physical condition of its capital. Such a status is very much critical both for foreign investors and foreign tourists. Last Monday showed why Dhaka had ranked the world's second least liveable city, according to the 2013 Economist Intelligence Unit's (EIU) Global Liveability Survey. Dhaka would have been at the bottom of the list had Damascus not come down. The ranking was reported extensively by the leading international media, including, among others, the CNN and the BBC, informing the global community about the Bangladesh capital's sorry plight.
Last Monday, many areas of the national capital turned out to be small islets with thousands stranded or wading through knee-deep dirty waters stuck up in roads and streets. School children were the worst sufferers. Rickshaws were busy in not carrying passengers to far-off places. They remained near the islets fetching Tk 15 each trip to carry passengers for a distance of only 30 to 40 yards to high lands. These three-wheelers found it to be a windfall gain because of brief but heavy showers in the morning.
It is already seen that whenever the monsoon sets in, many areas of Dhaka go under water. Since the canals - the primary drainage system of the city -are blocked, they cannot carry the huge volume of storm water generated during the monsoon. Thus almost one-third area of the city including Motijheel, Shantinagar, Rajarbagh, Mouchak, Najimuddin Road, Jigatola and a few parts of Dhanmondi, Kazipara, Paikpara, Bijoy Sarani and others go under water.
It is a sheer agony for the commuters and residents of the areas. The sewage of the open drain comes on to the road. The hassle of walking through the dirt cannot be described.
It is indeed a national shame that the capital city cannot still be protected from water-logging at a time when billions of Taka go down the drain on many counts. If the capital remains ignored, what about the remaining vast urban centres across the country? This is a million-dollar question raised by the suffering people at Kalabagan. The vital Green Road was also seen submerged with knee-deep dirty waters.   
It was a coincidence that a seminar was held in Dhaka last Monday on water-logging wherein the State Minister for Water Resources said the government is trying to keep the city protected from flooding by setting up water pumps. But, he said, the biggest problem is to manage adequate funds for this. But where do huge tax-payers' money go at a time when the authorities always say 'money is no problem'? How much money does it take to build an effective sewerage system? What do the excavated canals in the capital do to drain out the water?  
This messy situation could be attributed to encroachment on the drainage canals and low-lying areas by various interest groups, inadequate drainage facilities, disrupted drainage catch pits and connections, inadequate pumping facilities, lack of coordination in management of facilities by various agencies, change of drainage pattern due to land development or other human interventions and in some areas insufficient cleaning of drainage passages.
There must be immediate renovation of the existing drainage system and sewerage network of the capital to address the water-logging and urban flooding problems. If not, the country's image will continue to be tarnished in the eyes of the international community as Dhaka, in a way, symbolises Bangladesh.  
arjayster@gmail.com