Dhanmondi Lake is now more or less safe from encroachment except the south western part from bridge near the police outpost on the east to Road No. 27 (Old) on the north. Here there is no walkway barrier resulting in encroachments by the lakeside owners.

It is necessary for Rajuk/Ministry of Works to see how much land was originally allotted to such owners and how much each of them has encroached. The water of Dhanmondi Lake is less polluted compared to any other lakes or rivers in or around Dhaka city.

In this write up I want to say a few things about Gulshan, Baridhara and Banani lakes. Towfique Ali (Star City June 10) mentioned about de-requisition of some land in the lake and other waterbodies. I personally know of de-requisition of some acquired land in Gulshan Lake and nearby water-bodies from Mariam Tower on the north to middle of Badda on the south and the owners, taking advantage of this de-requisition, paid requisition money back to government and immediately sold most of the de-requisitioned lake land and water-bodies to different persons. Some developers bought most of the de-requisitioned lake and part of wet land from Mariam Tower to middle of Badda at a throwaway price. However, could not take possession due to government's prompt steps. Consequently, a housing project of Shine Pukur and a joint venture project with a Singapore firm failed. This was a clear mistake to de-requisition the water-bodies which gave rise to many writ petitions and suits in courts when the government prevented the developers to acquire the lake and wet land by earth filling.

In my opinion government should requisition it even if it has to pay more money at present rate and develop this vast stretch of wetland into a lake from Mariam Tower to middle of Badda.

Our people, even most of the rich and educated class, do not appreciate what the rivers and the lakes in the city bring to our health and mind by way of recreation besides money for the government. Those who visited even nearly Burma or Thailand must have felt how much local money and foreign exchange those countries earn from the lakes, water-bodies with flowers and river cruise with restaurants, band parties, music etc. Balu River, Shitalakkha River, Turag River, Dhaleshwari River, Buriganga River in and around our Dhaka city are invaluable lifelines for us. Our leaders, businessmen, the rich and the well-to-do people go to other countries. They can keep their eyes open to see the all round developments in lake sides and river sides of those countries. Facilities on sea sides in those countries go without saying.

We appreciate Rajuk for demarcating and making walkways on the lake banks including the western bank of Gulshan lake even though the alignment, say from Shooting Club on the south to Gulshan-Badda Road on the north of Gulshan lake and other places are not straight and go in a very zigzag manner causing difficulty for the walkers. They should also see that rubbish is not thrown by the sides of the lakes in a tricky way for grabbing the water bodies inch by inch.

I would also suggest to make walkway on Badda sides also to prevent the narrowing of the lake by the grabbers making houses right on the lake. In this respect some photographs were earlier published in The Daily Star. They should also see that a walkway is not converted into a drive way as an approach road to some influential leaders' buildings as has been done from the western end of Road No. 55 of Gulshan-2 to Kemal Ataturk Avenue on the eastern side of Gulshan/Banani lake resulting in the construction of a few houses whose approach road otherwise should have come from the western side of Road No. 50 running from Kemal Ataturk Avenue. This can still be prevented by making an approach road from Road No. 50 and restore the original layout plan of DIT (now RAJUK).

The present non-political government trying to develop a road map for democracy through various reforms and not merely a road map for holding an election for creating the same scenario as we witnessed before, are demolishing illegal structures encroaching on different lakes and rivers, deserve our appreciation. I urge upon the Ministry of Works (under which RAJUK works) to order to make immediately a walkway on the western side of Badda, that is on the eastern side a Gulshan Lake from Gulshan-Baridhara Bridge up to the extreme south of Gulshan Lake opposite shooting club to save it from further encroachments by way of making houses, sand/earth filling by the land grabbers. It is not enough to merely arrest these grabbers without fair and speedy impartial trial.

The motto is 'save the lakes and rivers' around Dhaka city at any cost to augment environment of the metropolis.

A Hasib is a freelancer.