Reclaiming lost canals

That the capital comes to a standstill due to waterlogging every time there is heavy rain is hardly a surprise if we consider that as much as two-thirds of its conservable floodplains and water retention zones have been usurped by different realtors over the years. Natural canals, which are supposed to transport and dispose of water from floods, have been filled up with unplanned, and often unlawful, structures, rendering them defunct, and Dhaka dysfunctional. Under the dire circumstances, it is shocking that Dhaka WASA has actually been further constricting whatever little exists of the natural canals in the city in the name of development and reclamation.

According to a Prothom Alo report, although 70 crore taka has already been spent in the last four years in a project funded by the World Bank for reclaiming 12 canals, the channels have actually shrunk as banks have been concretised under the project period. In Jirani and Bashabo, for instance, the canal which is supposed to be at least 20 by 30 metres has been reduced to 6 by 6 metres, exacerbating the waterlogging woes of that area. In most project areas, illegal constructions still remain on both sides of the canal. Drives are undertaken from time to time, but so half-heartedly that the structures reappear within a week. Many canals are used as garbage dumps.

With so much money invested in the project, it is incomprehensible why Wasa could not conduct systematic drives with proper follow-up to make sure that all illegal structures are removed, the channels widened, and garbage disposed of. It is imperative that they free up and reclaim encroached channels rather than further choke them.