Running out of open space

Once a matter of pride for everyone, the beautiful open spaces in Dhaka City are now shrinking frighteningly. For example, the city's Ramna area would be flooded with a riot of colours in summertime when the numerous Krishnachura trees there were in full bloom, so much so that the view from a distance would give the impression of the entire area being on fire. In winter also, the verdant area used to acquire a singular appeal as a mild nip in the air merged with bright sunshine.

But with the current craze of urban development sweeping the capital, such open places or rather whatever is left of them now evoke nostalgic memories in old timers. The fewer open spaces in the old city also seemed to meet the needs of the past given the low density of city population at that time. Now the old city's open areas are all but extinct and the handful few that are still holding on to their meagre existence have become the haunts of anti-social elements.

In the context of our social structure, outdoor recreational needs of most of us city-dwellers are simple. We usually only long for a breath of fresh air in an open space where our children can play and have some fun. Now in the frenzy of rapid growth in the urban areas, these simple and basic amenities are being eliminated.

In the burgeoning city life, the modern concepts of open civic space have assumed supreme importance. These include places where we can feel the earth beneath our feet instead of the cold, hard concrete. Such places help us connect with the mother earth.

Today, some of the designated open spaces in the city include the Ramna Park, the Suhrawardy Udyan, the Osmani Udyan and the Sangsad Bhaban Plaza. If we take the case of Ramna Park, we'll see that this once truly beautiful tract of land with sylvan shadows and home to tall green trees is slowly but surely heading towards extinction to make room for the numerous projects by myopic town-planners. Hotel, tennis complex, mosque -- all has chipped spaces away from it. The authorities are reportedly thinking of taking away even more space from the park to accommodate new constructions. This trend of mindless expansion at the cost of the Ramna Park is a very sad aspect of the so-called modernisation that cuts off people from the nature.

Apart from the annoying phenomenon of unchecked movements of anti-social elements within the periphery of the Suhrawardy Udyan, some encouraging things are also noticed sometimes inside the Udyan. On weekends and holidays, it has been observed that groups of students, both male and female, sit in wide circles in some areas of the Udyan and practice recitation. Tutorial sessions are also held in some parts of the Udyan. But the once abundant seasonal flowers that bloomed on flowerbeds at a good number of spots in the Udyan even a few years ago are now conspicuous by their absence.

In the recent past, there was a great uproar about the reported government move to fell trees at the Osmany Udyan for constructing an International Conference Centre there. A large-scale agitation participated by people from all walks of life was underway protesting the government decision that threatened the environment and ecology of the metropolis.

A variety of events and activities in the metropolis have contributed to the evolution of some civic places. For example, the New Bailey Road is also called 'Natak Sarani' by some people as different cultural events including drama that have taken place in this area over the years has transformed this road into a notable civic space. But the recent construction of a 'Natya Mancha' by sacrificing a part of the open space in front of Bangabhaban has not been appreciated even by the cultural groups. The Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) that took the initiative for construction of the centre has been facing criticism for the move.

Another category of temporary civic spaces appears during national events. For example, we could mention the Shaheed Minar premises where cultural functions are held regularly, the fairground for the annual Bangla Academy Book Fair and the TSC of Dhaka University where various cultural fairs at different times of the year are held. These civic spaces add new dimensions to our urban culture and social life.

In the interest of city-dwellers, it is important to adopt appropriate measures to keep the existing civic spaces of the city free from all encroachments and also to remain vigilant that the atmosphere at these places is not vitiated at any time.

In the process of rapid unplanned growth of the city, we have already lost many spots and traces of greenery. But a reversal of the situation is possible as the soil of our country is fertile and plants sprout without having to need much care. Given this natural blessing and with planned and coordinated efforts, we could create a green belt with an abundance of trees and thereby improve our environment.

The other ominous trend that besets the city-dwellers is the construction of buildings by filling up the lakes and other water bodies in and around the city. As open ground becomes more and more scarce every day, real estate developers are now eyeing the marshlands and lakes around the city.

Thus while multistoried apartment and shopping complexes keep mushrooming, the city's open spaces keep on shrinking. If this trend is not immediately arrested, we will end up with a veritable concrete jungle in the near future. All this is going on in violation of the existing environmental laws which would not have been possible without complicity of the relevant authorities.

A process to save the city from an impending environmental disaster needs to be initiated without delay.