Waterlogging won’t end if land grabbing not stopped: Mayor Taposh

Dhaka South City Corporation Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Tapash has said it will not be possible to get relief from waterlogging if the encroachment of land grabbers is not stopped. 

“Grabbing in the name of government projects, the encroachment of land grabbers, and the apathy of both government and private authorities are increasingly putting us in more difficult situations day by day. These are creating obstacles in our daily activities. Until we are freed from these, it cannot be said that we will be able to resolve the waterlogging problem fully,” Tapash said in a dialogue in Dhaka today (6 July).

The mayor made the remarks as chief guest during the dialogue titled “The Role of Canal Recovery in Resolving Dhaka’s Waterlogging and Creating an Aesthetic Environment” held in the conference room of the Bangladesh Institute of Planners.

“In an unplanned city like Dhaka, unplanned urbanisation makes waterlogging inevitable. We are trying to rescue the canals through our efforts. There is no alternative to preserving these canals to get relief from waterlogging,” he said.

Whether it is the grabbing of government or private land encroachers, if it can be eliminated, the Dhaka city will be free from waterlogging, and the canals will remain free from encroachment, said the mayor. 

He expressed his frustration about the fact that the vast reservoir of Hatirjheel is being reduced and closed off to make way for the construction of the elevated expressway.

The mayor said, “When I took office, 70% of Dhaka was affected by waterlogging. Now, we have reduced it to 20-30%. We have identified about 50 areas where waterlogging occurs. Projects are being undertaken to resolve waterlogging in those areas.

“For water drainage in Bangshal, it was arranged to flow through a distant location instead of a nearby one, resulting in slow water flow and causing waterlogging. We are now establishing a direct drainage system for it.

“Due to the box culvert, it is not possible to completely free Dholaikhal from encroachment. However, efforts are ongoing to create an aesthetic environment in a part of it.”

Mentioning that clearing the Adi Buriganga River was a challenging task, he said, “In the next 50 years, no one will be able to encroach on it again.”