In the last 17 years, the Wasa authorities spent more than Tk 300 crore in the name of development of canals and the drainage system of the city. Under two development projects the authorities turned several natural canals into box culverts to 'develop' the city's storm sewerage system. Currently the WASA authorities are implementing a project titled The Project for Ending Waterlogging in the Capital.

But the idea of making box culverts proved to be wrong as the city continued to be inundated every year during monsoons even after conversion of open natural canals into box culverts.

"Natural open canals are better than box culverts, maintenance of those is easier. On the outskirts of the city we keep the canals open but in the city it is not possible for us to protect open canals from encroachers," said Md Zahurul Alam, superintendent engineer of Wasa and project director of The Project for Ending Waterlogging in the Capital.

Following the massive inundation of the city during the floods of 1988, the authorities realised for the first time the importance of the city canals. Soon the government formed a committee and undertook projects to rehabilitate the canals of the city to ensure proper drainage of storm water. Ironically however instead of increasing the depths of the canals and protecting them from encroachers, the Wasa authorities turned several canals into box culverts spending Tk 250 crore, funded by Asian Development Bank (ADB).

But the situation did not improve. The city continued to be inundated during monsoons.

In 2004, heavy rainfall of two consecutive days marooned the city for quite a long time and the government again formed a steering committee to find out the state of the city's canals and to recover and rehabilitate them.

The committee made a list of 43 canals in the city, 13 of which were marked as rehabilitatable. The committee recommended the government to recover and increase the depths of the canals for better flow of water.

All those canals are situated in the western and eastern parts of the city.

"At least 13 canals were rehabilitatable and we recommended so. The authorities should step forward to rehabilitate the canals immediately, otherwise it will be too late to do that," said Prof Nazrul Islam, an eminent expert of urban planning.

But the authorities never increased the depths of those canals. Rather they are currently implementing a project of Tk 203 crore to improve the storm sewerage system of the city and to convert more canals into box culverts in the name of development. The project will be completed in 2008, which started in 2002.

Under the project, Wasa already converted an open canal into a box culvert in Khilgaon area.

The officials concerned from Wasa said the length of box culverts in the city under Wasa was 7.69 kilometres in 2003, 7.80 kilometres in 2004, and 8 kilometres in 2005, which is now 10 kilometres. Besides, Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) also has 4.5 kilometres of box culverts under its supervision.

Experts said box culverts get clogged with rubbish and storm water cannot be drained properly causing inundation during monsoons.

"Open canals are easier to maintain in our country," said Prof Nazrul Islam, who is also a member of the steering committee formed in 2004.

SEVERAL RECOVERY DRIVES WITHOUT RESULT
Following the steering committee report in 2005, the government spent more than Tk 1 crore to recover more than 13 canals that had been encroached upon.

But at that time, the Wasa authorities could not demolish any slum situated by the canals. The World Bank showed its interest to rehabilitate the slum dwellers living by the canals illegally. During the drive the authorities only knocked down some permanent concrete structures but not any makeshift hut, and as soon as the recovery teams left the scene local people encroached upon most of the recovered canals again.

Again in 2007, Wasa made another move to evict the encroachers by the canals but could not remove all illegal structures.

Asked, Wasa engineers said the World Bank had requested them not to demolish slums until the slum dwellers are rehabilitated.

"The World Bank sent us a letter prohibiting eviction of slum dwellers living by the canals," said Md Zahurul Alam.

Most of the illegal structures by the canals are parts of slums constructed under the shelters of local influential people.

A recent survey conducted, following the present interim government's assumption of power, found that 9 of the 20 illegal settlements by the Katasur canal in Mohammadpur are slums.

A top Wasa official said they will take special measures to ensure water flow in the canals without evicting the slum dwellers.

Environmentalist said to keep the city worthy of living, the lost canals must be recovered and easy water flow in those has to be ensured.

"If the phenomenon of destroying canals keeps on going, soon the city will be unworthy of living. The government should demolish the box culverts opening up the canals and should immediately increase the depths of those," said Abu Naser Khan, secretary general of the Movement for Saving the Environment (Paribesh Rokkha Andolon).