Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s directive to strengthen coordinated efforts to prevent pollution and improve the environment of the lakes in Gulshan, Banani, Baridhara, Niketan, and Dhanmondi must be taken seriously and heeded.
For too long, these lakes, which ought to -- beyond being vital urban ecosystems that regulate drainage and reduce flooding -- provide respite and peace to the citizens of Dhaka, have instead been reduced to polluted messes as a result of years of sewage discharge, illegal connections, sludge buildup, and institutional neglect.
If Dhaka fails to act now with discipline and coordination, these fast-deteriorating water bodies will slip beyond recovery.
Of course, we are well aware that the pollution is not accidental. Sewage enters Gulshan Lake through at least a dozen identified points while buildings bypass proper sewerage systems and dump waste directly into stormwater drains. This is mismanagement and a lack of regard of the highest order, and needs immediate correction.
Beyond the coordination, and for Wasa and the city corporations to work together, we need people within the administration who recognize the magnitude of the issue and actually care to find solutions. There is simply no justification for the city’s lakes to be in such a polluted state, and that year after year, decade after decade, it has only gotten worse is embarrassing.
The deployment of special teams is encouraging, but teams alone cannot fix a system that has allowed pollution to flourish for decades. Dhaka needs accountability, with real consequences for offenders as well as those responsible for action but failing to do so.
As among the least liveable cities in the world, these water bodies must become clean, functional, and protected to offer some respite to an increasingly frustrated citizenry. With the PM himself recognizing the importance, there can be no more excuses.
