Waterlogging in the capital takes its toll on city life every year during monsoon, with the Water Development Board (WDB) citing fund shortages, as an excuse for not addressing the problem that plagues Dhaka annually.
Both the concerned groups responsible for the problem are reluctant to address the issue, with the Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Wasa) saying the stagnant water on the roads is not due to “water logging” and the WDB saying due to budget deficits they haven’t been able to address the problem till date.
Dhaka and adjoining areas are flooded even after light rainfall, with flooded roads and water logging becoming a constant bother for many residents who struggle under adverse circumstances.
Residents accuse the government of not taking steps to mitigate the issue of water logging before the rainy season arrives. The city’s Shantinagar, Motijheel, Gulistan, Paltan, Farmgate, Green Road, Mohammadpur, Shyamoli, College gate, Manik Miah Avenue, Sayedabad, Jatrabari, Mirpur, Shewrapara and Kazipara must endure stagnant water and flooding every year on a regular basis.
Tofazzal Hossain, a resident of Green Road area, told the Dhaka Tribune Wasa routinely digs up the roads to lay sewerage pipes every year when the monsoon arrives. He said: “I think that it is the mismanagement of the state-run agency which is to be blamed.” However, Wasa’s deputy managing director of administration Ataur Rahman denied allegations and said the complaints made by Dhaka’s residents were untrue.
He said: “We take up development project several times a year. This year, we completed them before the monsoon to ensure rainwater drains out.”
He said some drains are blocked with waste and to clear them it is necessary to excavate certain parts of the roads, and added there is only one ongoing project running in Gulshan, which is due to be completed shortly.
In the mean time, certain parts of the city is already becoming water logged with stagnant water posing various dangers, especially around the Dhaka-Demra-Narayanganj (DND) dam and adjacent areas in Narayanganj.
In Fatullah, many roads, fields and surrounding areas are already flooded just as they have been in previous years after the rains, causing residents immense hardships.
Residents of the DND embankment area are dissatisfied with the WDB, which is responsible for maintenance of the dam. A resident of Sarulia, Khokon Khan said WDB has the sole authority to ensure stagnant water is drained out of the DND area. He said they use four large, and four small, pumps for this purpose but they are not sufficient for the work at hand. Various areas in and around the DND have been inundated due to poor drainage.
Ruhul Amin, an executive engineer with WDB, told the Dhaka Tribune there are four high capacity pumps and 22 smaller pumps used to drain rainwater out of the DND area. He however said the pumps are old and unable to cope with the excessive water due to heavy rainfall.
He said the government’s budget allocation for the DND project area is insufficient to tackle the kind of work necessary to develop the area. Amin said: “We requested the Ministry of Environment for money from the Climate Change Trust Fund to initiate steps to resolve issues faced in the DND area.”
