High Court ruling on illegal landfill welcome

The verdict of the High Court on July 30 ordering the Department of Environment (DoE) to desist from issuing environment and site clearances to the errant Hallmark Group intending to establish an industrial park is much welcome news. Indeed, the real estate agency has been ordered to refrain from carrying out all activities, including land filling in the areas Kandibaliarpur, Nandankhali, Jamur, Muchipara and Vopri moujas of Savar upazila for the duration of the stay order. The Court has gone further and asked the DoE why it chose to waive 90 per cent of the penalty slapped on Hallmark for failing to obtain environmental clearance certificate prior to embarking on the project.
While the Court has stepped in to stop one company from taking advantage of poor oversight of regulatory bodies such as Rajdhani Unnayan Katripakhha (Rajuk), the wholesale destruction of the environment in and around Dhaka continues unabated, largely due to unplanned urbanisation. With the convergence of illegal business interests comprising primarily of a section of real estate companies and corrupt officials belonging to regulatory bodies such as Rajuk, DoE, Dhaka's canals, wetlands and lakes are being filled up at an alarming rate. The fact that the Master Plan for Dhaka city is being violated and the Wetland Conversation Law 2000 is ignored at will is testament to widespread institutionalised corruption that exists among regulatory bodies entrusted with the safeguarding of Dhaka's environmental conservation.
Though the Detailed Area Plan, which in itself is a cornerstone of the city's master plan was made public in June, 2010, its implementation remains suspect due to vehement opposition put up by the real estate sector. That is hardly surprising given that the plan details every wetland, canal, lake in the division. With clear demarcation of roads and water bodies, its implementation would effectively free up significant agriculture land from unauthorised housing projects and industries. It is imperative for the government to realise that unless lakes such as Gulshan- Banani-Baridhara and wetlands of Dhaka are demarcated and preserved today, the ecosystem of the city will suffer irreparable damage, leading to frequent urban floods and depletion of water tables.