Thousands of people living inside the Dhaka-Narayanganj-Demra (DND) dam areas do not see an easy way out of the water-logging that makes their life unbearable in monsoon.
The chronic problem this year began even before, with the cyclone Mahasen that caused heavy rains in Dhaka too.
Many roads, fields and other open spaces in the area went under ankle to waist-deep water like the past because of the downpour, causing immense sufferings to the residents of the area.
People living inside the DND embankment area expressed dissatisfaction over the role of the Bangladesh Water Development Board, which is the responsible state-run organisation to maintain the DND dam.
Moin Uddin, a freedom fighter who now runs a grocery shop at Sarulia Bazar, said it is the WDB’s responsibility to drain stagnant water out of the area.
“But this year WDB has not taken any additional step to pump out the excess water even after days of heavy rainfall,” he said.
Not to mention about putting in place additional equipment in time of need, WDB does not even have all its existing pumps ready to be used. Maiz Uddin Miah, a resident of East Dogair said, “WDB has four pumps and now they use three. One is out of order.”
The WDB announced a long time back that they would set up another pump in Pagla area, but they forgot about it as usual, he recalled.
Maiz Uddin alleged the pumps are old and poorly maintained, and they are not capable of draining huge amount of water after a heavy rainfall. Wastes and water hyacinth clog the mouth of pumps as well as canals, he added.
“Fish farms have mushroomed near the WDB pump stations. These enclosures also contribute to water-logging inside DND area,” he said.
Encroachment is also common. Unauthorised structures, built by local influential over the years, also blocked natural flow of water and led to water-logging. Local people know them, but their voice is too feeble to be heard by authorities.
When local MP Habibur Rahman Mollah visited some waterlogged area earlier this week, local residents requested him to take step to remove illegal buildings that block water flow. He renewed the assurance, which was never materialised.
Latifa Begum, a field worker of Sarulia Union Health and Family Welfare, trudges through water every day between home and work. Like all others living in the area, she accepts the suffering as no remedy is in sight.
“Water-logging has become a regular feature in the whole DND area in monsoon. We are facing this every year, so we are used to this situation.”
There was no major rainfall in the last few days. But roads and open spaces in areas inside the DND dam, including Matuail, Konapara Pora Dogair, Mogholpara, Rasulpur, Dholesshar, Adarshapara, Sarulia, Dogair, Deillah, Munsibagh, Baghmara, Boxonagar, Sarulia Bahir Tengra, Kandapara and Mredhabari were seen under water even on Tuesday.
Local people said water-logging this year began since the Mahasen that caused incessant rains in Dhaka as well. Most of the areas looked like stagnant ponds, making every day life of thousands of people miserable. In some places rickshaws and vans are the only mode of transports. CNG run-auto rickshaws, cars and other motorized vehicles do not ply there.
While everybody points finger at the WDB, the agency has also a point to make—shortage of fund.
Ruhul Amin, Executive Engineer of WDB (Dhaka O&M Division- 1) told the Dhaka Tribune, “Every year the government sanctions Tk 15-20 million (1.5 to 2 crore) for drainage work, but this year the amount is less than the previous year’s allocation.”
The water official however said the government has taken an initiative to solve water-logging and end the suffering of thousands of people living in the DND area.
A feasibility study was done back in April 2010 and the report was submitted to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) in November 2011, he informed.
“But it was returned from ECNEC for lack of fund from the government fund and still it is waiting for sufficient fund,” he said.
Local MP Habibur Rahaman Mollah came to WDB’s defence saying the agency has been trying to clear the logged water from inside DND dam. Huge amount of logged water has already been pumped out, he informed.
“People too have some faults. Some residents dump waste in canals. Few people have encroached on canals and open spaces. Most of the canals are filled in. So heavy rains lead to water-logging for long,” he said.
“We have been trying to free all canals to ensure smooth flow of water out of the areas,” he told the Dhaka Tribune on Tuesday.
The ruling party lawmaker said he was aware of the fact that the ECNEC did not approve a development project for DND area, but did not know why.
WDB high officials said the government had implemented a Tk130 million (13 crore) project from 2006 to 2009 to improve the drainage system.
The DND project was executed during 1962-68 as Flood Control Drainage and Irrigation (FCDI) project primarily to protect Dhaka and Narayanganj towns from floods, and to save croplands from overflowing rivers. It was then a part of an exclusive irrigation project aimed at achieving self-reliance in food grains production.
But the area continued to develop as an unplanned residential area after the country’s independence, with lower middle income people buying land and building homes haphazardly.
The trend gained pace after the 1988 flood, inviting more people inside the dam area. As a result most of the agricultural land was transformed into residential, small business or even heavy industrial zone without any plan.
