Disappearing city wetlands
A study by the Department of Urban and Regional Planning of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) has dreadfully quantified the overall loss of wetlands in the capital city at 40 percent in the last two decades. This was revealed in a roundtable organised by Save Environment Movement (SEM), Jano Udyog Jatiya Committee and Institute for Environment and Development.
The widespread loss of wetlands has had telling effects on the environment of the metropolis. The drainage channels have been lost, flood-flow zones clogged, water logging has exacerbated and ground water recharge has been reduced.
The causes are far too obvious to be cited: indiscriminate filling up of low lands by expropriation and grabbing by application of force or under the guise procured authorisation through collusion with authorities. Because these are khas lands and public resource, they have been easy targets for grabbing by influential people. Vested quarters have maintained slums in these vulnerable areas or set up commercial outlets to let out through sheer muscle power against which something as nebulous as an environment authority has had no defence against whatsoever. Neither the Department of Environment (DoE) nor RAJUK nor DCC with its complement of ward commissioners ever raised a finger against such degrading acts of upsetting ecological balance of the city.
Now the task is three-some for the government consisting of surveying the lost wetlands, reclaiming them as far as practicable through excavation and eviction, taking adequate precautions to preempt any further clogging of lowlands and finally networking them to connect with the surrounding rivers.
Experts have very rightly focussed on protection of existing wetlands and water bodies to save eastern Dhaka from floods that it is so prone to. At least 40 percent of the drainage catchment area must be 'delineated and protected as wetlands and water bodies under the Wetland Conservation Act 2000', asserted a BUET expert. Of the 40 percent, a substantial percentage may be provided for by means of ponds or lakes, some of which might have gone derelict needing re-digging and rest to be freshly dug out and aesthetically maintained. Principally though, we need 46 square km of protected natural wetlands for retention of storm water. Rain water harvesting may be dovetailed to the overall programme as a way of checking water logging as well as a source of potable water. In a word, there must be a thorough-bred action plan, mooted, discussed and adopted by the government.
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