Editorial
Water-logging crisis
A single authority needed to resolve it
ONCE again the monsoon is here and Dhaka is water-logged. With the rainy season just getting underway, it can be anticipated that the water-logging problem will only deepen. The problems this disgraceful state of affairs cause for the denizens of our capital city need scarcely be enumerated, so obvious are they to even the casual observer.
The water-logging brings the city's traffic, and thus, the city itself to a standstill. Worst hit are the poorest who have no option but to wade through knee- and thigh-high water to get anywhere. That this should be the situation in the nation's capital city is indeed deplorable. The loss in terms of man-hours and efficiency is immense. In addition, the over-flowing of the drains means that much of the water cascading through the streets is foul, leading to all kinds of health concerns for those who have to navigate it.
The causes of such water-logging are, by and large, two-fold. The first culprit is the fact that the waterways of the city have become clogged up due to encroachment. Adequate steps have not been taken to augment the natural drainage system that has thus been destroyed. The second problem is that the storm sewers and drains are in terrible condition and are thoroughly unfit for the task in a city of well over one crore.
And let us not forget the havoc that is caused by poor and sub-standard road works and especially by the inexplicable practice of doing road work including excavation to lay utility networks during the monsoon season, both of which only contribute further to the mess.
Part of the trouble lies in the fact that the surface drains comes under the DCC's purview while storm sewers are the responsibility of Wasa. Small wonder that there is no co-ordinated action. As far as the road-digging is concerned, the utility organisations do it for their own purposes but the dug out earth is for the DCC to put back in place with the money paid in advance to the city corporation by former. The earth filling work is done very shoddily. What is needed is a unitary authority that is tasked with ensuring that the city does not flood or become water-logged, and that has the power to take whatever steps are necessary to accomplish this urgent goal.
That year after year the problem has been allowed to get worse is unacceptable. It is shameful that a capital city could be reduced to such a state every year. Ensuring that Dhaka does not get water-logged in the monsoons must be a priority for any government, and the sooner we have a single authority tasked with ensuring this, the better.
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