LYING on the lower reaches of the Ganges Delta and encircled by four rivers, the Buriganga, the Turag, the Dhaleswari and the Shitalakshya, Dhaka was once a splendid panorama of beauty. It was not only a serene and comfortable place to live but also ideally positioned for trade, administration and cultural exchange. As the provincial capital and commercial centre of the Mughal empire, it became the hub of the world鈥檚 muslin, cotton and textile trade, earning the title 鈥榲enice of the east.鈥�
That glorious image now belongs to history. Despite its rich heritage, Dhaka has descended into a state of urban chaos. According to the Global Liveability Index 2025, published by the Economist Intelligence Unit, Copenhagen is ranked as the most liveable city in the world with a score of 98 out of 100. Dhaka, by contrast, ranks 171st out of 173 cities, just ahead of war-ravaged Tripoli in Libya and Damascus in Syria. This collapse has not happened overnight. It is the cumulative result of decades of unplanned urbanisation, mismanagement and neglect.
The scale of the problem is staggering. Dhaka鈥檚 area has grown by 19 per cent in recent decades, while its population has expanded by 77 per cent. More than 23,000 people now live in every square kilometre, making it the fourth most densely populated city on the planet. Density alone is not the issue, several global cities accommodate comparable or even higher population densities through efficient planning and infrastructure. Dhaka, however, lacks both.
With a population exceeding 22 million and nearly one million new arrivals each year, the city holds at least three times more people than its infrastructure can support. Migration from rural areas, driven by job scarcity, inadequate health and education facilities and increasingly severe climate impacts, continues to swell the urban population. The World Bank projects that by 2050 more than 13 million people in Bangladesh will be internally displaced, many of whom will end up in major cities such as Dhaka and Chattogram. Without a fundamental shift in planning, the city is on an unsustainable trajectory.
Among Dhaka鈥檚 most acute challenges is air pollution. The city regularly ranks among the five most polluted in the world. Emissions from countless unfit or semi-unfit motor vehicles, particularly buses and trucks, are the principal contributors. These outdated engines emit greenhouse gases and particulate matter that pose grave health risks, ranging from respiratory illnesses to cardiovascular disease. Noise pollution is no less alarming. A report by the United Nations Development Programme found that Dhaka鈥檚 average noise level was 119 decibels in 2021, the highest in the world. The World Health Organisation recommends a limit of 55 decibels in residential areas and 70 decibels for commercial zones and traffic. Prolonged exposure at current levels has dire implications for public health, including the risk of widespread hearing loss.
The city鈥檚 traffic system has become almost emblematic of its dysfunction. Only 7 per cent of Dhaka鈥檚 land is allocated for roads, far short of the 25 per cent considered standard for a functioning metropolis. Around 1.7 million registered vehicles use roads designed to handle about 400,000. These vehicles range from buses and lorries to motorbikes, rickshaws and hand-pulled carts, all moving at different speeds and often without proper regulation. The result is gridlock. According to the World Bank, average traffic speed in Dhaka has fallen from 21 kilometres per hour a decade ago to just 7 kilometres per hour today, and is projected to drop to 4 kilometres per hour by 2035, slower than the pace of walking.
The human cost of this congestion is immense. Commuters regularly spend hours trapped in sweltering vehicles just to cover short distances of five or ten kilometres. A study estimated that traffic congestion consumes around five million working hours every day and costs the national economy $11.4 billion annually. Infrastructure projects such as metro rail lines, elevated expressways and rapid bus systems offer some hope, but they remain incomplete and, by themselves, cannot solve the city鈥檚 deeper structural issues.
Waterlogging is another perennial misery. After even moderate rainfall, large parts of Dhaka are submerged, forcing pedestrians to wade through knee-deep water. The reasons are well known: natural canals and wetlands have been filled in, either for construction or through indiscriminate dumping of waste, crippling the city鈥檚 drainage capacity. Safe drinking water is scarce, despite significant investments by the Water Supply and Sewerage Authority. Only two-thirds of households are connected to the network, and even then, the quality often fails to meet basic safety standards. Sanitation for the general public remains inadequate.
At the heart of this urban catastrophe lies unplanned development. Dhaka has expanded without ensuring even the minimum services required for a functioning city: roads, drainage, water supply, sanitation, green spaces or effective governance. The continuing influx of people is stretching already overburdened systems to breaking point.
If the present trajectory continues, the consequences will be catastrophic. Dhaka already sits near the bottom of global liveability rankings; it could soon find itself at the very bottom. To avert this, piecemeal measures will not suffice. The development of well-planned secondary cities, equipped with economic opportunities, healthcare and quality education, is crucial to ease the pressure on the capital. Decentralisation of administrative and economic functions has been discussed for decades; it is now an urgent necessity.
Equally important is seeking expert guidance from countries that have transformed their urban environments. Singapore, for example, combines disciplined traffic management with remarkable greenery and efficient public transport. Britain and Japan offer valuable models for governance, infrastructure and planning. Engaging such expertise would not be a sign of weakness but of foresight.
The decisions taken now will determine whether it remains trapped in a spiral of dysfunction or embarks on a path towards renewal. The window for action is narrowing. Without bold, coordinated and expert-led interventions, the city risks reaching a point of no return.
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Hussain Imam is a retired merchant mariner.
