Editorial
Unceasing rains cause havoc in city life
It is a ringing wake-up call to the authorities
THE incessant rains which left Dhaka a ravaged city on the night between Monday and Tuesday should be seen as a ringing wake-up call for the administration. It is a clear statement of what has not been done about dealing with problems cropping up as a result of a downpour. In light of the grave environmental risks the capital has over the years been subjected to through an absence of planning as also construction of building structures with impunity, these rains have made it obvious that such conditions cannot be allowed to go on any longer. More pointedly, they are a reminder that despite such problems recurring, the authorities have clearly and carefully stayed away from resolving the severe drainage issues to which citizens have repeatedly drawn attention. Conditions have come to a pass where mindless urbanization has resulted in rainwater finding no outlet for clearing.
Many of the drainage-related problems the capital faces today are inextricably linked with the various housing projects that have over time displaced the floodplains around Dhaka. Real estate encroachment on open spaces has been of a vast nature, so much so that these spaces have disappeared under what has come to be known as jungles of concrete. Worse, the drainage system which once was pivotal in letting rainwater stream off the city streets has by now virtually been rendered non-existent through the rise of apartment complexes and shops where once there used to be simple residential zones. It is only in places like Gulshan and Banani that waterlogging and the like do not happen because the rainwater simply is able to flow into the neighbourhood lakes. That brings up the question once again of whether serious efforts will be undertaken to reclaim the natural water channels which once defined Dhaka. Of the forty such channels, we understand that twenty-six have been identified for reclamation. That is encouraging news, but just, for beyond surveys and studies, nothing tangible has been seen in terms of quick recovery and restoration of the moribund channels. It is important, therefore, that the Dhaka city master plan take all these factors into consideration if built-in measures are to be provided to rid the capital city of water-logging , especially in times of severe rainfall.
Even as we speak about such problems, we cannot ignore the effects of climate change which may be having a bad impact on our overall weather pattern. Seasonal rains apart, there is now a clear trend of sudden, concentrated rain (such as the one on Monday-Tuesday) creating havoc in urban life. Here too the question of whether the authorities are prepared to deal with the consequences comes up. Alongside that, the urgency of a dredging of rivers around Dhaka cannot be over-emphasised.
Overall, the rains and their consequences have thrown up a major challenge for the authorities. That consists in the main of initiating purposeful action, besides raising awareness among citizens, in handling crises arising out of the workings of nature. All available resources must be galvanised towards dealing with a problem that should have been neutralised years ago. In other words, structural arrangements should be in place to ensure that rainwater can be flushed out of the streets before they make a mess of lives.
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