The fact that we have repeatedly failed to make the canals in Dhaka operational for decades now is not just a failure of the authorities concerned, but of the entirety of the population as a whole.
It is a sad reality when the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) mayor himself takes initiative to clean up canals, but which become unfit to use in a shockingly short amount of time owing to encroachment and public negligence.
Canals are not, and have never been, dumping grounds. The culture of neglect and disregard is so pronounced in our society that collectively, we fail to recognize that we are destroying our capital city through this neglect.
However, equal if not more scrutiny is reserved for the authorities concerned who, until very recently, have simply turned a blind eye to a problem that has existed for an unacceptable amount of time.
It is also never a matter of simply cleaning up a canal once and expecting it to remain that way. Regular maintenance and drives to keep them clean have to become the status quo, not just when it comes to preserving waterways, but roads, railways, and any other transportation infrastructure.
Moreover, the fact that these canals are also safety hazards as there are no walls along the canal is simply unacceptable.
Moving forward, while the locals must be educated about not dumping in the canals, the authorities concerned must do their part with regard to having awareness campaigns in addition to proper maintenance.
We appreciate the plan including building walls and walkways along the canal and restoring boat navigation as before on our canals and believe it is an important step for the overall health of Dhaka city. With that said, we remain far from that reality, and the authorities concerned have much work to do.
