Open drains waiting for more victims

Despite the frequent injuries and deaths caused by open canals and drains in Chattogram city as well as demands for proper measures to avoid further casualties, these roadside canals and drains still remain unmarked or uncovered. The memory of the deaths of some children, a female university student, and some adults after falling into open drains is fresh in our minds. It hurts more when continued inaction by the authorities renders those unfortunate deaths meaningless.

The canals and drains with yawning gaps could once again spell disaster with the approaching monsoon season when they are likely to overflow, making the edges of nearby roads indistinguishable to pedestrians and commuters. As such, people and small vehicles might slip and fall into them. It was not long ago that the driver of a three-wheeler miscalculated the edge of a road and fell into a canal in the city, leading to the deaths of the driver and a passenger. It is unthinkable that such a thing can happen in what is known as the commercial capital of the country, but even that couldn't nudge the authorities into action, let alone a serious reflection on why this keeps happening.

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Dhaka: An unwalkable city

Every time an accident takes place, a committee is formed and asked to conduct a survey to identify risky spots contributing to such accidents, but hardly ever is it followed by a proper response. According to a recent survey, there are 57 canals—measuring 161 kilometres in total—and 765 kilometres of drains in the city. A total of 5,527 risky spots, measuring up to 19 kilometres, were also identified. This is extremely disturbing for a city that remains busy round the clock. One wonders why those risky spots haven't been made safer by the Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) and other competent authorities in all these years. How many more lives will be needed before they undertake measures that actually make a difference?

Reportedly, works on the risky spots have seen little progress so far, with over 70 percent of works still unfinished. No one could provide a credible answer as to why this is taking so long, or when those works will be finished. The top brass must answer for this and also take a long, hard look at why this problem has persisted through the years and at their own failures and incompetence. We urge the CCC mayor to lead this effort and ensure quick results.