Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Tuesday said the Dhaka North and Dhaka South City Corporations were implementing coordinated short- and long-term measures to provide a lasting solution to the capital's waterlogging problem.
Replying to a starred question from Independent lawmaker Rumeen Farhana in the Jatiya Sangsad, the minister said the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) had identified 108 waterlogging-prone hotspots and formed 21 Quick Response Teams across its 10 zones to improve drainage during heavy rainfall.
He said DNCC constructed or upgraded 110.93 kilometres of roads and 105.89 kilometres of drains in the 2024-25 fiscal year and plans to build or improve another 115 kilometres of roads and 120 kilometres of drains in 2025-26.
The minister said 360 sanitation workers had been deployed to clean canals regularly, while the boundaries of 29 canals and one regulating pond had been demarcated with 1,181 boundary pillars to prevent encroachment.
For the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), he said rainwater from 109.24 square kilometres currently drains through three outlets, which are inadequate. Proposals have been submitted to build two additional outlets.
He said a new drainage outlet from Gulistan to Sadarghat was also planned under the World Bank-funded Metro Dhaka Resilience Project, while work was underway on a box culvert and a large drain to speed up water discharge from Shyampur Canal into the Buriganga River.
The minister said DSCC had identified 33 waterlogging hotspots, including New Market, Green Road, Shantinagar and West Malibagh. Canal re-excavation, drain cleaning and maintenance programmes are continuing, while six portable pumps have been installed to remove rainwater during heavy downpours.
He added that excavation and rehabilitation of the Kalunagar, Shyampur, Jirani and Manda canals were progressing under the government's Canal Restoration, Rehabilitation and Beautification Project as part of an integrated strategy to reduce waterlogging in Dhaka.
Bd-pratidin English/ Jisan
