They, during a discussion on conservation of wetlands at the city's Brac Centre Inn, also unanimously demanded the newspapers and other media refrain from carrying advertisements of illegal real estate projects.

Wetland filling and filling of flood plains by real estate developers are not only ushering an imminent environmental disaster but also consistently choking the capital with perennial water logging and creating a mess in the sewer system, they said.

Architect Iqbal Habib in his speech at the discussion, organised jointly by Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (Bela) and Bangladesh Paribesh Andolan (Bapa), said severe water logging occurs because of filling of wetlands and flood plains and creating obstructions in the city's canals and lakes.

"The overflowing sewage dries on the city streets and people of all ages particularly the children develop respiratory diseases due to this," Iqbal said.

He demanded that the government ask the organisations assigned for drawing up the Detailed Area Plan (DAP) under DMDP as to why they failed to complete their job.

Founding President of Bapa AMA Muhith said, "Now, we fervently appeal to the caretaker administration to separate Rajuk from its role of a real estate developer. Rajuk must play the role of a monitoring body, enforce the city planning and design policies."

Former adviser to the caretaker government advocate Sultana Kamal emphasised the need for forming a public forum and an action plan for people's movement against influential land grabbers.

Beautiful rivers like the Buriganga, Shitalakhya, Bangshi, Turag, Balu and Dhaleswari encircle Dhaka city as its lifelines, said Vice-President of Bapa Prof Abdullah Abu Sayeed, who chaired the discussion.

"We have to protect the wetlands and flood plains for the sake of Dhaka's existence," he said.

Ishrat Islam, an associate professor of the department of Urban and Regional Planning of Buet, in her presentation said there are more than 250 real estate developers active in and around the capital.

Different types of wetlands in Dhaka are depleting fast due to illegal land development. A total of 87 ongoing private housing projects have no approval, she said. Around 49 housing projects have been identified to be inside the flood plain zones and sub-flood plain zones earmarked in the DMDP covering around 9,241 acres of land, she added.

"Wetlands have been disappearing at 5.67 percent a year since 1999," said Ishrat, who also conducted a study from 1989 on wetlands of Beraid, Ashulia and Baghair (Keraniganj) areas. "There will be no wetlands left by the year 2037 if commercial land development went on in the present pace," she said.

Ishrat said 44.7 percent of the affected people said they were forced to give up their land to developers while 26 percent said they were forced to sell their lands, as the developers dumped sand on their lands.

"A total of 96 percent affected people in Baghair, 91 percent in Beraid and 73 percent in Ashulia want to protect their ancestral homestead from the aggression of the real estate developers," Ishrat said.

A total of 19,134 square feet of wetland is lost every day in Beraid, 7,161 square feet in Baghair and 2,446 in Ashulia, she said adding that, no housing projects in the city's eastern fringe have approval.

Deputy Town Planer of Rajuk Abu Hasan Mortuza said 34 housing projects got approval long before the Private Housing Land Development Rules of 2004 were formulated.

"Rajuk alone cannot implement the DMDP and enforce the private housing development rules," he added.

The experts participating in the discussion recommend coordination between Rajuk, Dhaka City Corporation (DCC), Dhaka Water And Sewerage Authority (Wasa) and Water Development Board to implement the DMDP and the DAP.

They also emphasised the need for participation of civic bodies in the process of drawing up the city's development plan.

"An authority with executive power is crucial to conserve the city's flood plains, lakes, canals and wetlands as per the DMDP," said Ishrat Islam.

Bela Director Syeda Rizwana Hasan alleged that documents go missing from Rajuk when legal action is initiated against an illegal housing project.

Engineer Quamrul Islam Siddique, Editor of daily New Age Nurul Kabir, Real Estate and Housing Association of Bangladesh (Rehab) President Abdul Awal, former adviser to the caretaker government SM Shahjahan and NGO activist Khushi Kabir also spoke among others.