BADC filling up water retention land in Gabtoli

Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) has filled 11 acres of 53-acre water retention area of Goidartek in the capital's Gabtoli for a four-story building meant for a tissue culture laboratory.

Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk), and the Department of Environment (DoE), the authorities responsible for looking after the land, did not take any action even though the land filling continued for over six months until March.

The BADC violated the Environment Conservation (amendment) Act-2010 by filling the water retention land, say environmentalists.

The 11-acre area is marked as water retention land in the Detailed Area Plan (DAP) of Rajuk. The BADC did not get the land use clearance from Rajuk, say Rajuk officials.

The BADC didn't have an environmental clearance certificate from the DoE either, according to officials of DoE.

Environmentalists said that filling up a water body can seriously affect biodiversity. This can also reduce the natural flood control capacity as wetlands retain water during the rainy season.

Visiting the site recently, this correspondent found that the BADC has put up a fence around the area. An excavator was levelling the land. The height of the ground has been raised by up to about six feet using a dredger.

This correspondent found no project official at the site on April 6 and 8.

Meanwhile, locals fear that the filling of the land will adversely affect the drainage in and around Gabtoli City Colony, Goidertak, Mirpur, Mazar Road, Mohammadia Housing, Mohammadia Homes, Navodaya Housing, Shyamoli Housing, and Mansoorabad Housing.

Jamal Uddin, a local, said, "When it rains, waterlogging occurs in the area. Water used to recede through this land. Due to the filling of the land, waterlogging will get worse."

The DNCC on March 29 wrote to the BADC asking it to suspend the "land development work". The corporation said construction of the proposed building on the land would seriously obstruct drainage.

Selim Reza, chief executive officer of the DNCC, said the city's drainage water ends up in Kalyanpur retention pond, which is adjacent to the land filled by the BADC.

"If the land filling continues, it will increase the suffering of the locals and aggravate waterlogging," he added.

Asked why the DNCC acted so late on this issue, Selim said, "We cannot declare a war against a government authority."

The Rajuk, however, seems to have no idea about the present condition of the land.

Expressing concern about the BADC's move, Ashraful Islam, town planner of Rajuk and also the DAP project director, said, "The BADC did not obtain any permission from Rajuk, and also did not submit any application."

He said that although the land-filling continued for several months, he learned about it only about a week ago.

The DoE seemed to be in the dark about the matter too.

Masud Hassan Patwary, director (monitoring and enforcement) of DoE, said, "I am trying to find out."

The BADC, however, claims that it is not a water retention land.

ABM Golam Mansur, project director of Central Tissue Culture and Seed Health Laboratory at the BADC, said, "There was no water retention land at the project site. We are actually using this land as a farm."

He claimed that they have obtained permissions from the government authorities concerned when the project was approved by the ministry.

Enquired about permission documents, Mansur kept mum.

Experts have expressed concern about the government authorities' failure to protect the water retention land.

Adil Mohammed Khan, professor of urban and regional planning at the Jahangirnagar University, criticised Rajuk, DoE, and the DNCC for negligence.

He also demanded legal action against those government officials who were involved in illegal activities such as filling water retention land.

Adil said the land should be reclaimed by removing the sand.