A recent study has revealed that the Dhaka city has lost half of its trees and 60 per cent of its waterbodies over the past 44 years.
The study titled 鈥楧haka without nature? Rethinking natural rights led urban sustainability鈥� made its analysis using satellite image, land use analysis and Land Surface Temperature data spanning from 1980 to 2024.
Local think tank Change Initiative that conducted the research disclosed its findings at a press briefing held at a city hotel on Sunday.
Change Initiative chief executive officer M Zakir Hossain Khan, who presented the findings along with two of his co-researchers, said that in 1980 trees covered 21.6 per cent or 65.7 square kilometres of Dhaka city.
But by 2024, the tree cover declined to 11.6 per cent, or 35.3 square kilometres, while water bodies shrank from 12.3 per cent, or 37.3 square kilometres to 4.8 per cent, or 14.7 square kilometres, over the same period.聽聽
The study, conducted across 26 thanas under Dhaka North City Corporation and 24 thanas under Dhaka South City Corporation, also reveals that the city鈥檚 urban structures have increased sevenfold鈥攆rom 20.7sqkm to 148.8sqkm.
During this period, the cover of grass and agricultural land in the capital city has declined from 168.8sqkm to 74.4sqkm.
In DNCC, the average tree cover is just 4.23 square metres per capita鈥攐nly half of the minimum standard of 9 square metres per capita set by the World Health Organisation.
In the DNCC area, only Bimanbandar, Uttarkhan, Cantonment and Kilkhet areas meet the minimum WHO standard, while Adabar, Rampura and Kafrul have the lowest per capita tree cover.
In the DSCC area, the average tree cover is just 2.33 square metres per capita with only Shahbagh and Demra meet the minimum WHO standard.
Sutrapur, Bangshal, Kalabagan, Kotwali and Wari, among the DSCC areas, barely have any tree.
The report further reveals that the average waterbody coverage in the DNCC is only 1.79 square metres per capita, while in DSCC, it is just 0.97 square metre per capita鈥攎uch lower than the minimum standard of 4.5 square metres per capita set by the WHO.
Mirpur, Kafrul, Sutrapur and Gandaria are nearly dry zones with almost no waterbodies, while Bimanbandar, Turag, Gulshan, Khilkhet, Cantonment, and Demra meet the minimum standard.
Regarding urban structures, Uttarkhan, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Khilkhet, Turag, Badda, Shah Ali, Cantonment, Bimanbandar, Demra, Khilgaon, Sabujbagh, Shahbagh and New Market areas have remained within the maximum limit of 50 per cent built-up area, as set by Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha, the Dhaka city development authority.
In contrast, areas, including Adabar, Mirpur, and Rampura, Uttar Paschim, Kafrul, Bangshal, Sutrapur, Wari, Kalabagan, Dhanmondi, Shyampur, Kotwali, Chawkbazar, Paltan and Hazaribagh are choked with over 80 per cent built-up areas.
The study reveals that the maximum average annual temperature has risen to 39.8C by 2024, up from 36.8C in 1990.
City areas experiencing temperatures above 32C include Shyampur, Hazaribagh, Tejgaon, Rampura and Darussalam, while Shahbagh, Sabujbagh, Demra, Uttarkhan, Shah Ali and Cantonment remain comparatively cooler, below 31.2C.聽聽
According to the study report, Uttarkhan, Turag, Badda, Khilgaon, Sabujbagh and Demra are among the few remaining zones where grass and agricultural land still exist, while Adabar, Hatirjheel, Bangshal, Sutrapur, Wari and the north-west side of the city have been left with barely any grass and agricultural land.
