Dhaka’s environment should be made livable by preventing pollution
The capital Dhaka is one of the most populous cities in the world. Many of the facilities that a modern urban system needs are absent here. Most important services and opportunities, like education, health care, offices, courts, and jobs, are mainly located in Dhaka. This is why people from remote areas are always moving to the capital of Bangladesh.
In addition to that, people are moving out of the city and relocating to nearby towns, hoping to find similar services and opportunities there. Urbanization is causing a rapid increase in population in other cities of the country. Urbanization is also happening rapidly.
Along with that, various problems are increasing in the city. In addition to the gas and electricity crisis, traffic, waterlogging, pollution, and traffic jams, city dwellers now face new and numerous crises.
The plans to protect the city’s livability are not being implemented on time and are taking too long to take effect. As a result, cities are becoming more uninhabitable day by day.
To address the city’s growing issues, we need to focus on several key areas: improving transportation through circular road, sea, and rail connections, promoting planned development, enhancing education and healthcare services, creating employment opportunities, relocating offices and courts, and fostering new developments in the Districts and Upazilas around the capital. We should also consider district cities across the country as important hubs for planning and implementation.
Employment should be created at the district level. Balanced development by connecting the village with the district has become necessary. There is no substitute for sustainable and livable urbanization.
In order to make the city livable, government and private organizations often organize various initiatives at different times. A special conference titled ‘Sustainable Urbanization: Problems and Solutions’ was held recently in this continuation. Almost the same opinion has emerged.
Prof. Rehman Sobhan, a distinguished economist and Chairman of Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), stated that traffic congestion is getting worse due to excessive urbanization, which is becoming more and more risky. Rapid urbanization is expanding due to lack of coordination.
People are being fooled by the flashy advertisements of housing companies. There also remains a shortage of civic amenities.
According to urban planner Professor Nazrul Islam, the number of city dwellers as well as in habitat is increasing. But there is no specific minister in charge of urban development.
A country where 36 percent of people live in cities needs an urban affairs minister. The population of the city will increase further in the next Delta Plan.
He said urbanization is increasing in the country. In 1974, the rate of urbanization in the country was only 8.87 percent. It was 15.54 percent in 1981, 20.15 percent in 1991, 23.4 percent in 2001, 31 percent in 2012 and 39.71 percent in 2022.
Dhaka Division is the most advanced in terms of urbanization. The Sylhet Division is the most backward. There were 15 essays on various topics that were presented in the event.
These articles are presented by subject-matter experts. A series of recommendations were presented in the concluding part of the program.
An environmentalist said that livable cities should have 12 percent open space and 15 percent green cover, but there is little. We were not successful in starting the circular waterway around the eight rivers connected with Dhaka city. Dhaka is grinding under the burden of traffic.
Professor Dr. Shamsul Haque, a public transport expert, suggests that implementing bus route franchising is the first step in reducing traffic congestion. If it is not taken forward, it will not be possible to build an effective public transport system.
One of the most effective ways to manage population density and urban development is to create area-wise population density maps. Preparation of area-wise list of social and civic amenities and infrastructure. Granting approval for development as appropriate.
Decisions should be made prioritizing overall sustainable city development and not the interests of individuals or groups.
Incidentally, Dhaka sometimes takes the top position in the world in terms of air pollution. Air pollution reduces the average life expectancy of people worldwide by two years and four months.
But six years and eight months are less in Bangladesh. According to a statistic, 1900 ponds have disappeared or vanished from the capital in the last 33 years.
In Dhaka, 1,900 ponds and reservoirs have disappeared in the last 33 years due to unplanned urbanization, encroachment, and high housing demand. The total land area of these ponds is 70 thousand hectares. These ponds were once a means of water retention.
As a result, they played an important role in flood relief, firefighting, drinking water crisis. According to the statistics of the Fisheries Department, in around 1985, the total number of ponds in Dhaka was 2000. According to private estimates, it has reached one hundred so far this year.
Although the actual number of ponds in Dhaka is not known to the two city corporations. The Institute of Water Modeling‘s survey report says that over 10,000 hectares of wetlands, canals, and lowlands in Dhaka have been lost in the past 35 years.
