Play your part

Relevant authorities including Wasa and the city corporations have to deliver their duties accordingly in resolving the capital's storm drainage problem, said environmentalists at a discussion yesterday.

Every time there is a downpour, the city goes under water for hours with the traffic system going haywire.

While Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Wasa) has to keep their storm drainage facility functional, the two city corporations have to keep the surface drains clear of obstruction, they said. Also, the corporations have to collect all solid waste so that it does not clog up the drainage system.  

“The natural drainage system of the surviving canals with their network with rivers and the water retention areas must be reclaimed as per Dhaka's master plan,” said Abu Naser Khan, chairman of Poribesh Bachao Andolon (Poba).

Poba organised the discussion on “Waterlogging and Liability of Authorities” at its office in the capital.

Over the recent spate of urban flooding in Dhaka city with one taking severe proportion on July 26, both the city dwellers and urban experts decried the government negligence and inaction regarding the lack  of storm drainage facility.

Roads, factories and tall buildings have been built in place of canals, ponds, ditches and wetlands, said the Poba chairman. As a result, the city and its dwellers suffer the consequences.

With the natural drainage system destroyed, the existing artificial storm drainage system of pipelines is not only scanty but also unplanned, he said.

He said the capital generates over 6,000 tonnes of solid waste every day of which the city corporations can collect 4,500 tonnes.

The uncollected solid waste including thousands of discarded polythene bags and a massive volume of construction debris released every day into the surface drains clog whatever drainage facility is in place, said Abu Naser. The city corporations have to make sure they collect all the solid waste.

He also stressed the need for increased tree coverage and green spaces in the city that slows down rain water runoff, instead of random concrete coverage, so that rainwater seeps into the ground.

Abdus Sobhan, general secretary of Poba, said Wasa was entrusted with developing the city's storm drainage facility in 1989. “What have they done in this regard in so many years? Why are all of its pump machines for draining out rainwater not functional?”

The Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk), supposed to ensure planned development of the capital city, has destroyed wetlands and flood flow zones time and again for developing housing schemes, said Sobhan, former additional director general of the environment department.

Tofail Ahmad, executive member of Poba, said the pattern and volume of rainfall in Bangladesh has never been considered in developing a modern storm drainage system.

Related laws have not been followed and hydrological issues have been managed poorly over the years, he said.

“The consequence is,” he said, “water has grabbed our spaces, as we have grabbed its space.”

Razia Samad, executive member of Poba, also spoke.