A BRIEF spell of moderate rainfall brought vast areas of Dhaka to a standstill on May 22 as a grim reminder of the city鈥檚 chronic water stagnation problem. Roads went under water, forcing people to wade through knee-high water. Rickshaw pullers struggled to move, with rallies in central areas having compounded the traffic chaos. This is not a one-off incident. The same scenes play out every monsoon season, regardless of whether the rainfall is moderate or heavy. Authorities routinely claim that drain-cleaning activities are under way as they did again this week, but the assurances ring hollow. Despite hundreds of crores of takas spent on drainage and canal reclamation projects, Dhaka鈥檚 infrastructure repeatedly fails its residents every rainy season.
The situation exposes the structural weaknesses and policy failures underlying Dhaka鈥檚 urban management. At the core of the problem lies a woefully inadequate drainage system, which city authorities have failed to overhaul despite taking full charge of it in 2020. Large-scale infrastructure projects have further compromised drainage routes, often without adequate environmental safeguards. Moreover, natural drainage channels 鈥� canals, floodplains and wetlands 鈥� have been systematically destroyed. Not a single canal remains free of encroachment. The changes have left the city with nowhere for rainwater to go. Annual drain-cleaning drives are no substitute for long-term planning. A sustainable solution must involve the restoration of natural water retention areas, enforcement against encroachment and a comprehensive redesign of the drainage and development plans.
It is time the authorities demonstrated will. Wetlands should be reclaimed, canals cleared and drain networks restored in line with environmental realities.
