Solution only in free rivers, canals

The capital may face a much worse flooding in future than what it suffered last week if canals and floodplains are not reclaimed soon, cautioned noted civil engineer Prof Jamilur Reza Choudhury.

"Powerful realtors" have earth-filled the flood flow zones and water retention areas, conservation of which was a major decision in the Detailed Area Plan (DAP) of Dhaka, said Chowdhury, who headed the technical expert committee on the DAP adopted in 2010.

"It is not irreversible if the government truly intends to resolve the city's waterlogging," he said at a discussion on waterlogging in the capital. Bangla daily Prothom Alo  organised the programme at its Karwan Bazar office yesterday.

Mayors of the two Dhaka city corporations underscored the need for a designated body to coordinate the activities among all the government agencies concerned to resolve the mammoth problem.

Annisul Huq, mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), said canals, which play the crucial role of storm drainage, are grabbed by some powerful people and clogged with solid waste. "It is not easy at all to reclaim canals from the grip of the influential quarters."

The storm drainage problem would not be solved unless rainwater can be carried to the rivers around the city, he said.

The 2,000km-long surface drains maintained by the city corporations mostly remain clogged with waste and construction materials, thanks to carelessness of people.

More than a dozen government agencies are responsible for looking after the drainage system in the city. But in the absence of an umbrella organisation, no coordinated steps are taken.

"A coordinated body with political and bureaucratic authority would help solve the waterlogging problem," DNCC Mayor Annisul said at another programme at Dhaka Reporters Unity later in the day.

At the Prothom Alo discussion, Mayor Sayeed Khokon of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) too stressed the need for this coordination agency.

Prof Nazrul Islam, honorary chairman of the Centre for Urban Studies, said that Dhaka city indeed has no custodian.

"A powerful coordination body and priority commitment from the prime minister or parliament are badly required for solving Dhaka's waterlogging," he said, adding that the city mayors can appoint "friends of mayors" -- an advisory council of professionals -- to effectively address such problems.

Syeda Rizwana Hasan, chief executive of Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers' Association, said, "The problem and its solutions have been discussed numerous times. But it appears that there's absolutely no political commitment to making Dhaka liveable."

Storm drainage system will not work if canals and wetlands are not freed from encroachment, said Md Mujibur Rahman, a Buet professor with over three-decade-long experience in working on urban drainage system.

But as immediate measures, the authorities have to clean all the existing storm and surface drains and reclaim the canals, he said.

Former president of Institute of Architects Bangladesh Mubasshar Hussain, among others, spoke at the discussion moderated by Prothom Alo Associate Editor Abdul Qayyum.