Helemul Alam

Once there were six ponds in Ward-83 of the undivided Dhaka City Corporation (DCC), offering a much-needed respite to the residents from the jaded city life.

The day was hot with an occasional glimpse of cirrus clouds. It was almost noon and the sun shone with all its might.

It was around 11:00am on Eid-day. Mohammad Saiful Islam was frantically looking for a doctor at the child medicine ward of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) as the time for medication of his two-year-old son had been over some two hours back.

Once Dhaka was adorned with several hundred ponds. Like canals, only a handful exist now. But they are also in death throes due

Imagine a pond surrounded by trees that were home to many birds, welcoming all with their chirps.

The pond was not just a source of water for the households.

Once Dhaka was adorned with several hundred ponds. Like canals, only a handful exist now. But they are also in death throes due to negligence of the authorities concerned. Although, according to the Field, Open Space, Park and Natural Water Body Protection Act 2000, filling up of any water body including pond is illegal, it's going on unabated.

Once Dhaka was adorned with several hundred ponds. Like canals, only a handful exist now. But they are also in death throes due to negligence of the authorities concerned. Although, according to the Field, Open Space, Park and Natural Water Body Protection Act 2000, filling up of any water body including pond is illegal, it's going on unabated.

The sufferings of commuters travelling along Mouchak-Rampura road know no bounds as around a kilometre stretch of it from Mouchak to Abul Hotel remains in an awful state.

As soon as the clock strikes midnight, Shahreen Noor wakes up.

Asma Akhtar and her two classmates didn't know who to blame for being 45 minutes late for their HSC practical examination yesterday. Keeping in mind the dismal condition of two-km stretch of the Jatrabari-Demra road, Asma along with Antu Akhtar and Jakiya Sultana left their homes in Demra for the exam hall in the capital's Jatrabari 75 minutes before the test scheduled to begin at 9:00am.

Nearly a hundred people were sweltering in the midday boiling heat, waiting in line for about an hour to enter Lalbagh Shahi Mosque.

For the last two months, Yasmin Zaman, a housewife in the capital's west Rampura, has been waking up around midnight.

Many areas of Barisal city have the horrible stench of rotting garbage as the waste has not been collected in three days.

Long tailbacks and people's sufferings have been a common scenario for the last few days at Chashara in

Every day after college, Tanjina Khatun Tania walks to her home in Rajarbagh Gate area from Siddheswari. It takes her some 45 minutes.

The authorities concerned will launch a joint drive against over 20-year-old buses, unfit vehicles, and illegal drivers in the capital from March 1 to reduce congestion and the number of accidents on streets.

It was 7:30am Sunday. The early morning sun flickered through the green leaves of trees of various shades, colours and sizes. The city was waking up from deep slumber.

Unplanned urbanisation, fast depleting natural water reservoirs and owners' indifference to ensuring adequate fire-fighting equipment at their buildings and markets are the three key reasons why firefighters in the capital have a tough time during rescue operations.

These days, Suraiya Parveen of the capital's Mirpur-12 cooks her family's lunch and dinner the night before. She tries her best to finish up cooking by midnight before going to bed since she has to go to work in the morning.