The lake located between sector 9 and 11 in Uttara Model Town of the capital is being desecrated by land grabbers.
Encroachment is blamed on Rajuk’s negligence, with officials unconcerned about the innumerable structures mushrooming around the lake.
Furniture shops, a rickshaw repair garage, a makeshift mosque, automobile workshops and other illegal structures have taken up a large portion of the water body.
Shops have been built on bamboo structures that extend on to the lake. A makeshift mosque occupies part of a pavement and open space situated along the lake.
There are several workshops, including one belonging to Navana Group - the Navana Toyota 3s Centre, as well as three others called Hasan automobiles, Israfil automobiles and Molla automobiles. A rickshaw repair garage and scores of other establishments have taken over open space by the lake in sector 9.
The Uttara Model Town’s Sector-9 Welfare Association has also established its head office and a community clinic by the lake.
Residents said all the establishments were illegally built by filling up the lake.
A resident of sector 11 Abdur Rashid said: “At first the grabbers filled up a small portion of the lake with waste and debris and later they raised the structures.”
Initially, the furniture shops occupied the walkway along the lake, and began to encroach on the lake recently, he added.
Another resident of the area said no one protested against the illegal activities out of fear. “The capital’s development authority – Rajuk, seems to be hibernating,” said the resident who preferred to remain unnamed.
Rajuk admitted land grabbers have encroached on parts of the lake, but authorities were yet to take any steps to prevent further encroachment.
ASM Raihanul Ferdous, Rajuk’s superintending engineer, told the Dhaka Tribune all structures were illegally built on the lake.
The encroachers however said the land was rented from local “owners.”
The land along the water body in fact belongs to the lake. When contacted officials and owners of the automobile workshops said they were not willing to comment on the matter.
According to the Rajuk official all the automobile workshops, the rickshaw repair garage and tin-shed structures were illegal.
He said an eviction drive had been conducted once before, and action would be taken against the current encroachers immediately.
Rajuk authorised officer (2A) Parvez Khadem, entrusted with Uttara Residential Model Town said: “We have already sent letters to the encroachers to remove the illegal structures from the lake area.”
“But they did not pay heed to us.”
The official said they sent letter to Navana asking the company to show the building design for the land it is built on and then a show cause notice as it did not respond to the first letter.
“Finally, we sent a third letter to Navana authority on July 30, 2012, asking them to remove the structure. Later, they came up with a design which was not approved by Rajuk,” he said.
Despite repeated attempts by the Dhaka Tribune, Navana authority refused to comment on the issue.
Asked about any eviction drives by Rajuk, the officials said: “We took steps to demolish illegal structures, but the move was suspended because of general strikes called on that day.”
Rajuk officials produced copies of the letters sent to Navana and other encroachers, which stated all establishments built in and around the lake were illegal, and violate the national building code.
However, furniture shop owner Md Khalil told the Dhaka tribune it was normal to erect shops on roadsides and along lakes in Dhaka.
“We have been running our business in this area for 12-14 years without paying any rent for the space. Rajuk visits the area at times, but don’t say anything to us,” he said.
At the same time, waste discharged by drainage and sewerage lines from residents and industries include sediment from many under-construction buildings are continuously flowing into, and being deposited in the lake.
While on the other hand the embankment around the lake in sector 11 has become susceptible to erosion, with soil and vegetation along the ridge eroding away.
Locals alleged the lake water is polluted, the stench from it indicative of the loss of biodiversity.
A plan to develop the lake is on the cards as shown on Rajuk’s website, but practical steps are yet to be taken. An official of Rajuk, Raihanul Ferdous said the lake development work would start from the next fiscal.
