With Cyclone Mocha already letting its presence be felt in our country, it is perhaps only a matter of time until the ensuing rainfall once again results in the expected waterlogging issues in our cities, especially in our capital.
As a nation, we generally experience a lot of rain, sometimes even off-season. And yet, we are always under-prepared when it comes to waterlogging, which points to the lack of a clear, strategic plan with various government agencies often preferring to play the blame game rather than solving the problem itself.
It's clearly a problem that the administration is well aware of, as new drainage pipes that cost crores are being built, but what the key point that remains unaddressed is that the main drainage line remains clogged well before the expected bouts of heavy rainfall that Dhaka witnesses.
One of the more ambitious projects that was meant to help mitigate waterlogging is the Kallyanpur Retention Pond project -- sprawled across 182 acres of land, the Tk1,500 crore project aims to reduce waterlogging in Kallyanpur, Mohammadpur, Gabtoli, Darus Salam, and a portion of greater Mirpur by helping with drainage and acting as a reservoir.
Whatever happened to the project?
Dhaka's waterlogging problems become increasingly worse year after year, even moderate amounts of rain are oftentimes enough to cripple city life as it leads to the flooding of major roads and makes commute nigh impossible
A city's state of development is not reflected by the number of high rise buildings but by the efficiency of its various infrastructural trappings, and on that front government both past and present have failed to make any meaningful changes.
Bangladesh is a nation of rainfall, often in excessive volumes, but that is no excuse to keep avoiding waterlogging as an issue.
