THE deplorable condition of Dhaka鈥檚 canals and water bodies can hardly be overstated. Nearly all the canals in and around the capital have either deteriorated significantly or are heading towards complete extinction because of unregulated waste disposal and persistent encroachment. A waste-choked Dholaipar Canal in Jatrabari, as a photograph that 抖阴精品 published on July 19 shows, serves as a stark example of the broader neglect afflicting almost all of Dhaka鈥檚 canals and wetlands, which remain critically unprotected and unpreserved. Unplanned dumping of domestic waste, market waste, faecal sludge, medical and electronic waste continues to degrade these vital waterways 鈥� polluting the environment, causing water stagnation and endangering public health. According to the office of the Dhaka deputy commissioner, the city has 54 canals. The Institute of Water Modelling lists 50, while the National River Conservation Commission records 77. Responsibility for the maintenance and preservation of these canals lies primarily with the two city corporations, both of which have made repeated pledges to protect them. Yet not a single canal in Dhaka today is free from pollution or encroachment. Many have lost their natural flow, and some have disappeared altogether due to relentless encroachment.
The existence of several canals is now only nominal, with physical traces of them entirely lost. Many others are heading in the same direction amid inaction by the authorities concerned. The city鈥檚 Flood Action Plan and Detailed Area Plan had identified 5,523 acres of water retention zones, 20,093 acres of canals and rivers, and 74,598 acres of flood flow zones for preservation. However, nearly two-thirds of these designated areas have been occupied 鈥� often by state agencies and influential actors. Alarming estimates suggest that around 2,000 acres of flood flow zones vanish every year. A 2017 RAJUK study found that only 1,744 acres of the projected 5,523 acres of water retention areas remained intact. In 2016, following severe waterlogging, the Dhaka South City Corporation, Dhaka WASA, the district administration, police and the Bangladesh Water Development Board launched a joint initiative to identify land grabbers and initiate evictions. Although a list was prepared and some limited reclamation drives were conducted, these proved unsustainable. Many of the evicted encroachers returned 鈥� and new ones joined them. This failure is particularly egregious given that numerous laws, regulations, policies and guidelines exist to ensure environmentally sound waste management and to prevent encroachment.
It is high time the authorities moved beyond hollow rhetoric and demonstrated genuine political will to reclaim and protect the city鈥檚 canals, wetlands, green spaces and water bodies. The government must adopt an integrated approach that addresses all the factors, including waste management, contributing to the degradation of these vital ecological assets.