Obviously, illegal occupation of canals in the city has greatly aggravated the drainage system leading to water-logging in many places, particularly during the monsoon. The problem has a direct bearing on issues like environmental pollution, traffic congestion and maintenance of city roads. So the WASA's plan to reactivate the natural drainage system through clearing the canals of invasive structures is based on a correct assessment of the overall drainage problem.

We wholeheartedly support it. But certain things have to be taken into account before the plan can really produce the desired results. First, the canals that are illegally occupied or obstructed need to be clearly demarcated when the illegal structures will have been removed. The law enforcers have to ensure that the process of clearance of any canal does not turn out to be a temporary one. In other words, the encroachers must not get a chance to come back. The point is relevant considering the rather brittle nature of the enforcement of law in such cases that we witnessed in the past.

Keeping the lines of drainage open is a dire need for an overcrowded and ever expanding city like Dhaka. We believe that WASA decision-makers should concentrate on durability and sustainability of the drive. All the activities must be well coordinated and the focus should be on making steady and solid progress following consolidation of the gains of each phase completed.

For decades, citizens have suffered extremely pitiable conditions of roads and open spaces due to water logging during the rainy days. The situation goes really out of control when floods occur. Needless to say, a well maintained drainage network could take the sting out of the worst floods. Things can improve substantially if the canals in the city, the length of which is 140km, can be used for draining out a huge quantity of rain and waste water. WASA has to work on the basis of a sustainable plan with due support from other government agencies to implement it within a specified time-frame.