<i>14 lakh residents of southern part of city live with waterlogging </i>

Saddam Market area at Demra in the city.Photo: STAR

The 14 lakh residents of Demra, Shyampur and Jatrabari in the city have been tremendously suffering from waterlogging, loadshedding and lack of adequate bus services.
Lack of adequate bus stoppages at Shanir Akhra, the major gateway of these three areas at the southeastern periphery of the city, is another headache for the lower, lower middle and middle class people of the area.
Waterlogging in the area is a much talked about issue, but as it seems, it has no remedy.
The area goes under knee-deep water only if it rains for a day.
Jahangir Alam, a banker, said the rickshaw pullers realise twice the due fare to take them to Jatrabari Bus Station since people have to go there to take a bus to their respective offices.
The waterlogged place turns into a breeding ground for mosquitoes and wastes float on that water that many children in the locality often play with.
That's why malaria, diarrhoea and a number of skin diseases are common phenomenon in this area.
Nazma, a worker of a garment factory and a mother of two who is a resident of Rasulpur at Dania, said last week she couldn't go to her workplace for seven days since her daughters were suffering from cold and diarrhoea.
She was afraid that she might be sacked, which would be a blow for the family since then they would have to do only with the income of her rickshaw puller husband.
The roads in the areas lie in so dilapidated a condition that people cannot move without taking a rickshaw.
Three old pumps at Mizmizi with inadequate water pumping capacity, only three culverts on the Chittagong Road and unplanned development of residential and industrial establishments are responsible for such sufferings, locals said.
On the basis of the recommendation of a technical committee and JICA feasibility study report under Flood Action Plan, in 1992 Water Development Board submitted a project proposal worth Tk 235 crore to the Planning Commission.
The Pre-Ecnec Committee meeting in 2006 decided to re-structure the development project proposal at Tk 12 crore for urgent works of DND project.
Sources in Water Development Board said this year they have a plan worth around Tk six crore that includes some re-excavation work, removal of waste and illegal establishment, repairing pump houses, establishing a trash rack and eight pumps (five cusec per second) and raising mass awareness.
Firoz Ahmed, who appeared in this year's HSC examination, said during their exams they only got electricity for four to five hours a day.
Mousumi Akter Champa, a Masters student of Jagannath University who resides at Shanir Akhra, said during daytime they experience power outage for six to seven times a day and while the electricity goes off at least twice in the evening.
“The most disgusting thing is such load shedding also happens even when we sleep at night,” she added.
There are only two local bus services and around seven counter-based bus services plying this route.
The counter-based buses start from Rupganj and when they reach Shanir Akhra, they are already crowded.
Rashed Ahmed, an honours student of Suhrawardy Collage residing at Paterbagh, said, “Getting a seat in the bus is a dream.”
Locals said if the number of the buses is increased and some buses start from Shanir Akhra, their suffering will be reduced to a greater extent.
They added that only a small portion of this area is under the city corporation while the major portion is under union parishad.
All sorts of development works are neglected here, they further added.
“We have no local authorities to complain about all these crises,” said Mohammad Abdur Rauf Khan, a worker of an NGO who has been residing at Dolaipar for 20 years.
“Bringing this area under Dhaka City Corporation is a longstanding demand of the people but the government did not pay heed to the demand,” said the Convener of Demra-Shyampur Pani Biddyut Sangram Committee Mosleh Uddin Masud.
“The last Union Parishad election was held in 1988,” he said.
He also emphasised on activating the previous Union Parishad.