"As certain sections of Old Dhaka qualify among some of the most densely populated areas in the world, utility services such as electricity, gas, water, sewerage and drainage always feel the pressure. Lack of open space is another problem," said Professor Nazrul Islam, prominent urban expert.

The old quarter of the capital that once proudly housed the residences of Nawabs and Zamindars of Dhaka and still home to a number of archaeological sites and six important commercial points has not seen modernisation since independence.

Stagnated rainwater still swamp places like Shankhari Bazar, Islampur, Sutrapur, Laxmi Bazar, Tanti Bazar, Bangshal and Swarighat.

"We are the deprived lot of Dhaka. People who come from other parts of the city cannot drink water here as it smells foul. Our narrow roads are unfit for walking because of constant traffic jams and garbage dumped on them," said Lutful Haq, a businessman in Islampur.

All 12 parks in Old Dhaka have been transformed into parking lots for pushcarts and other vehicles and people dump household waste in open spaces there.

"We don't have any open space available to take a fresh breath. Decent people cannot go there. In the evening, they become haunts of drug addicts and criminals and vagabonds," said Mohammad Siraj, a student of Jagannath University College.

Foul odour in water supplied by the Water and Sewerage Authority (Wasa) is a long-standing complaint from Old Dhaka residents, but officials shrug it off.

"There are thousands of leaks in pipelines throughout the city which is a reason for foul smell and it is not only in Old Dhaka," a Wasa official said.

He pointed out that the source of the water in the old city -- the Buriganga -- is highly polluted, the reason extra water purification chemicals are added to the supply which makes water smelly.

Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) does not have any wholesome future plans about Old Dhaka.

"The DCC alone cannot change the entire set-up of Old Dhaka. Still, we are working on different small projects. It requires massive decisions," a senior DCC official said.