Chennai lesson for Dhaka
How would our daily lives be if Dhaka city remained under water for more than a week after a heavy rainfall?
We really don't need to imagine that, Chennai, capital of Southern Indian state Tamil Nadu, gives us a real picture of that horror.
Non-stop rain caused massive floods in Chennai and many areas of Tamil Nadu. The army and air force have been deployed to rescue those still stranded. Schools and colleges have been closed for more than two weeks now. Stranded citizens are being rescued by boats plying the streets of Chennai.
Along with the sufferings of the people, the Indian media have been focusing on the reasons for the disaster.
NDTV in a report on November 22 says as Chennai struggles to find its footing after the massive floods that have killed over 100 people, experts say it was a man-made disaster that was waiting to strike the city.
"Over the years, water bodies across the city have been filled up and built upon, often by politicians with interests in the real estate business, say environmentalists. The result: During incessant rains, water overflows," says NDTV.
Many blame successive state governments for converting water bodies into housing estates. Some residents call it vote bank politics others say its collusion with developers, says the report.
The Indian Express in a report on November 19 Says in Chennai, tall claims of the municipal corporation and the government about flood preparations were washed away, clogged storm water drains showed the expensive de-silting procedures of recent months hadn't worked, and the flooding underscored the trend of reckless illegal construction that has choked water outlets.
"Studies show at least 300 water bodies have been converted into residential areas. Most waterways, tanks and reservoirs are choked with silt, and their flow channels and banks have been encroached upon", an expert at the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority told The Indian Express.
The very same reasons that caused the disaster in Chennai exist in Dhaka and may strike our city.
The drainage system in the capital is very poor. The situation has been deteriorating further as real estate businesses have encroached on almost all of the water bodies and canals.
Floods and waterlogging regularly disrupt lives in the city. The entire city had faced a great urban flooding in 2004 with just 341 millimeter rain in 24 hours, which exposed how poorly managed the city's drainage system was. But no effective measure has been taken since then to improve the situation. Therefore, the daylong downpour on September 1 this year left the city under water.
Dhaka's potential cumulative loss from intense rainfalls, according to a World Bank study released on Monday, will stand at Tk 11,000 crore in the next 35 years.
The loss will be caused by waterlogging and urban flooding, and does not include the cost of the impact of climate change which according to expert is likely to cause more of such heavy rains in the coming decades.
This means the climate change may further aggravate flooding and waterlogging in the coming years and decades.
So, the disaster of great magnitude for Dhaka is imminent!
What should we do now to escape this nightmare of epic proportions?
The government has made laws more around 15 years ago to protect the water bodies. Successive governments have made dozens of pledges to make Dhaka liveable. Environmentalists have long been raising voices for protection and preservation of water bodies and canals and proper urban planning. But nothing really worked.
One of our city mayors, Annisul Huq, on Monday explained the reasons for the failure to recover the canals from grabbers. The grabbers, he said, are powerful people and there are many cases against canal grabbers pending at the court. “So it is hard to say exactly when the canals will be recovered.”
It leaves us with only one choice. The government's political will is a must to address this situation. No grabber can be more powerful than the government.
We do not have much time to waste. We should learn lessons from Chennai and act without delay to face the danger lurking around the corner.
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