Dhaka poor drainiege -Bangladesh

Poor drainage sinks Dhaka

   

With their bus broken down on a road submerged in rainwater in Old Dhaka’s Doyaganj area, some passengers go to a dry place on a rickshaw van, right. Many roads, lanes and by-lanes of the capital went under water yesterday following a downpour. Photo: Firoz Ahmed

Helemul Alam

Many parts of Dhaka went under knee-to-waist-deep water after monsoon rainfall in the last two days, once again exposing the dilapidated state of the city's drainage system.

Experts told The Daily Star that Dhaka's waterlogging problem could not be solved without an integrated master plan and coordinated work of various authorities concerned.

Apart from Wasa, six other authorities deal with Dhaka's drainage system on a piecemeal basis without much knowledge about who is doing what.

"We will not achieve anything until five government organisations and two private bodies work under an integrated management with an integrated master plan," said Iqbal Habib, joint secretary of Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon.

He said canals of Dhaka belong to the deputy commissioner office and Rajuk, but they are maintained by Dhaka Wasa.

On the other hand, two city corporations maintain surface drains while underground drains are maintained by Wasa.

Water Development Board pumps out the rainwater from retention areas to rivers, he said, adding that Bashundhara and Cantonment have their own managements to deal with the issue.

Five things, he said, are very important to solve the problem -- an integrated master plan, a coordinated management involving solid waste management and sewerage management with the plan, a time-based plan involving public representatives so that people can know about every development of the work, and making every organisation responsible for cleaning their water bodies and drains to ensure their maximum retention capaciti.