Obstructing a drain for beautification?

Waterlogging has been one of the top civic worries of Chattogram residents for quite a while now, and with monsoon around the corner, one would expect the Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) to take precautionary measures.

Instead, a supposed beautification initiative undertaken by the city authority is threatening to aggravate the crisis for many in the rainy months.

Some 12 pillars have been erected on the drain in front of Jamal Khan PDB Colony in the port city, as part of construction work of four aquariums and a shop, while a major portion of the drain has been covered with concrete slabs.

As a result, water and sewage flow are being obstructed on the sewer, that stretches around 1km from Cheragi intersection to Shaheed Saifuddin Road.

CCC officials said they are implementing the project as part of beautification. The aquariums’ maintenance cost will be raised through profit from the shop, they said.

Any beautification project of CCC is implemented by respective ward councillors. About the ongoing project, ward-21 councillor Shaibal Das Suman claimed that the structures are being built in a “planned manner”.

“We have set up nets in the drain so that solid waste can be removed easily,” said Shaibal, also chairman of CCC Standing Committee for Waste Management.

When asked about the justification for the project, he said criminals used to frequent the secluded area and often committed anti-social activities. Once it is finished the area will wear a nice look, and more people will visit the area, he hoped, adding that crime would come down.

“Beautification is important for a city but it should done be in a planned way,” town planner Zarina Hossain told The Daily Star. The pillars’ bases built inside the drain will definitely obstruct its flow, she said.

Such an initiative is unacceptable, said Zarina, general secretary of the Forum for Planned Chittagong, an organisation conducting research on planned development of the port city.

Similar comments came from Subhash Barua, vice-president of the forum. “CCC officials should have consulted with town planners before starting the project,” he said.

Meanwhile, Chattogram Development Authority (CDA) has initiated a development project for re-excavation, expansion and cleaning up of canals in a bid to address waterlogging. Bangladesh Army has been implementing it.

Contacted, Lt Col Abu Sadat Md Tanvir, additional project director, said they will start eviction drives to free canals and drains from occupiers this month.

“Illegal structures on any canal or secondary drains -- whoever it is built by -- will be removed,” he said.