Water flow to the Rupnagar-Duaripara canal at Pallabi in Mirpur of Dhaka has been badly hampered by illegal structures on its bank.
Sources said the canal has become oddly narrow in some areas because of illegal occupation, resulting in water-logging in the city.
Lax monitoring and negligence of the Dhaka Wasa have only added more woe.
This correspondent yesterday found that grabbers have built makeshift houses filling up of both sides of the canal and dumped huge quantity of wastage.
Local resident Mahbub Hossain said some influential people had illegally occupied the canal and disturbed the sewerage system.
During monsoon, most roads go under wastewater as most of the canal and its branches are facing illegal occupation. Water-logging is now a common scenario in Mirpur under Dhaka North City Corporation.
During a recent visit, DNCC Mayor Annisul Huq blamed the land grabbers for the water-logging, who urged upon the Wasa authorities to recover the canal immediately for the sake of the people.
The canal gives a passage to pass wastewater as well as rainwater from West Shewrapara, Kazipara, Monipur, Mirpur, Rupnagar, Duaripara and Alokdi into the Turag river.
Thought the Wasa authorities earlier took some initiatives to ensure recovery of the canals, they failed to make any fruitful outcome, even they could not complete building walkways along the banks of the canal.
The 26 canals that contribute to the drainage have been gradually falling under rampant encroachment. Sources at Dhaka Wasa said there were 65 canals in the capital, but in the course of time the figure came down to 26 owing to the illegal move.
When contacted, Dhaka Wasa Managing Director Taqsem A Khan told the Dhaka Tribune that they have been conduction monitoring and the eviction drive to recover the occupied portions of the 26 canals.
The Wasa boss acknowledged the problem and said: “We will recover the Rupnagar-Duaripara canal. If any establishments are found in the canal, we will demolish those.”
