The deplorable condition of Shyampur Canal, as a photograph that New Age published on April 16 shows, is reflective of the sorry state of the canals and water bodies in and around Dhaka. Garbage, mostly polythene waste, has made the canal stagnant, making it a breeding ground for mosquitoes, and turned black the water, which emits a foul odour. The state of other water bodies — canals, lakes and rivers — is no different. All of them are in a squalid condition. The dreadful state of Dhaka’s canals and water bodies can, indeed, be hardly overstated. Nearly all the canals and lakes in and around the capital have either deteriorated significantly or are headed towards complete extinction because of unregulated waste disposal and persistent encroachment. An unplanned dumping of municipal waste, market refuse, faecal sludge, medical and electronic waste continues to degrade the vital water bodies, polluting the environment and endangering public health. The existence of several canals and lakes is now only nominal, with their physical traces entirely lost. Many others are heading in the same direction amid inaction of the authorities concerned.
According to the office of Dhaka’s deputy commissioner, the city has 54 canals. The Institute of Water Modelling lists 50 while the National River Conservation Commission records 77. Responsibility for the maintenance and preservation of these canals and lakes lies primarily with the city authorities, both of which have made repeated pledges to protect them. The government has recently undertaken a major project to restore and excavate canals across the country, yet not a single canal in Dhaka today is free of pollution or encroachment. The city’s water retention zones and flood flow zones are also disappearing rapidly. Nearly two-thirds of the designated water retention and flood flow zones have been encroached on, often by state agencies and influential quarters. Besides, the failure of city authorities to collect and safely dispose of waste has led to haphazard dumping by the roads and into water bodies. More than half of the waste generated in Dhaka is not properly collected or disposed of, leading to grave environmental and public health hazards. Various government and non-governmental committees and organisations have made specific recommendations for safe and effective waste management and preserving the water bodies to make Dhaka, now one of the least liveable cities, liveable again, but unfortunately to no avail.
It is high time the authorities moved beyond hollow rhetoric and demonstrated will to reclaim and protect the canals, wetlands, green spaces and water bodies. The government must, therefore, adopt an integrated approach, addressing all the factors, including waste management and encroachment, that contribute to the degradation of the vital ecological assets.
