Bangladesh’s capital city has long struggled with a livability crisis. While Dhaka’s urban development has been impressive in its speed, that development has certainly been scattershot and without much regard for environmental integrity, as testified by the city consistently ranking as one of the worst in the world when it comes to air quality.
With the world's worst air pollution, crippling waterlogging caused by even the smallest amount of rain, and a staggering population density exceeding 50,000 per square kilometre, citizens of Dhaka are struggling for basic survival. The latest revelation -- that tree cover languishes at a catastrophic 1% of the city's area, according to the latest data from Global Forest Watch, far below the 30% considered essential for any livable -- is tantamount to a death knell for urban well-being.
The science is unequivocal -- urban greenery is not a luxury but a fundamental infrastructure. Global models such as the "3-30-300" rule -- ensuring residents see trees from windows, live amidst 30% canopy cover, and access green parks within 300m -- are proven pathways to cooler temperatures, cleaner air, and healthier citizens. For context, Melbourne’s ambitious transformation and Singapore’s targeted greening stand as testaments to what committed governance can achieve.
Dhaka’s failure, on the other hand, stems not from ignorance, but from a profound failure of governance and coordination, as decades of haphazard, unplanned urbanization have prioritized concrete over greenery. Furthermore, the lack of coordination between bodies such as Rajuk, the Environment Ministry, WASA, and our city corporations have only compounded citizens’ miseries over the decades.
Clearly, we need a way out.
The only viable long-term strategy to save Dhaka and unlock a more equitable future for Bangladesh is immediate and decisive decentralization. This means relocating major government ministries and large-scale industrial facilities to designated regional hubs outside Dhaka; the development of satellite cities around the periphery of the capital city; and investing in developing our existing urban regions to transform them into true administrative, economic, and cultural centres.
The survival of our capital, and the equitable development of our nation, hinges on nothing less than urgent action. Let us plant the seeds of a greener, more distributed future before Dhaka suffocates entirely.