Out of forty six canals in Dhaka twenty have been lost, twenty six canals exist on paper but they are getting lost due to encroachment, pollution and lack of proper initiative to rescue.
On December 31, 2020, the Ministry of Local Government handed over the canals from Wasa to the two city corporations of Dhaka. At that time, waste was removed from some canals on an emergency basis, but now they have returned to their old form.
A project worth 1.5 thousand crores of two cities for canal rescue and renovation is hanging in the Ministry of Local Government. Two years after the handover of the canals, there is no visible progress.
According to city expert, the city corporation along with the Ministry of Local Government has not taken any effective steps to prevent encroachment and pollution of the capital's canals. Even after the canals were handed over to the city corporation, they could not carry out any significant activities.
Professor Dr. Adil Mohammad Khan, Urban planner and executive director of the Institute for Planning and Development (IPD) told Bandladesh Pratidin, the two city corporations of Dhaka jointly removed some of the waste from canals. It has stopped now. Now canals back to old form.
One of the reasons for this is that they could not involve the community in this work. If the people of the area were aware, then this situation would not have happened, he added.
“After taking over the canals the first thing to do was to list the occupiers of the canals. The canals would not have been in this condition if the eviction process had been carried out according to that list. Ministry of Local Government should play a stronger role in saving the canals,” Professor Dr. Adil Mohammad said.
Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Tapas, Dhaka South City Corporation Mayor (DSCC) said, initiatives have been taken to bring back the beautiful environment through renovation and maintenance of the canals under DSCC. The project proposal has already been sent to the ministry. Hope these projects will be approved soon.
If the ministry delays in approving the project, we will start the canal renovation work. In this year's budget, 25 crores have been allocated for canal renovation. We will not look at the ministry, we will start working, he added.
Rampura-Bansree Canal in the capital is in a critical condition. Although the illegal encroachment on this canal is relatively low, it is getting filled due to pollution. Meradia Bazar section of the canal has a huge garbage dump. Although there is a secondary transfer station (STS) for garbage disposal, it has not been working for a long time. That caused garbage to fell on the cannel. The lower part of the canal has been filled up a lot.
Same scenario happened to Nondipara canal. Once it was big, but now it’s dying. A large number of shops have been set up on poles buried in the canal in the Madertake part of the canal. These poles are piled with dirt, which causes blockage.
The condition of Manda canal is even more critical. There are piles of dirt as far as the eye can see on both sides of Manda Bridge in Gudaraghat area. Cowsheds, shops, residential buildings have been constructed by occupying some parts of the canal.
Existence of Khilgaon-Basabo canal is visible in Basabo part, but lost in Khilgaon part. Pipe drains are made under the soil there. Same scenario in Mohammodpur Katasur canal, Rupnagar canal, Kallaynpur canal, Lautola canal.
According to officers from Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), DNCC is masterplanning canal renovation. They are making the layout design of how to make the canal beautiful.
Bd-pratidin English/Tanvir Raihan
