Editorial
Dhaka's open canals
Must be made operational
There was a time when all excess water from Dhaka city used to end up in various adjoining rivers through numerous open canals crisscrossing the capital. But, over the years, in the name of creating new roads, government offices, residential plots, shopping malls etc., all these canals have been filled up by various government agencies. It is reported that the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) and Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) are in the forefront of these agencies that have filled up canals without creating any alternative means for the stagnant water to find an outlet. This has resulted in the obvious -- severe water-logging in the city even after a small rainfall. But, surprisingly, that is not the end of the story of encroachment on open canals in Dhaka. Right at this moment some government agencies and private developers are in the process of grabbing the Begunbari canal and Hatirjheel wetland existing in the heart of the city. According to city planning experts, if the Begunbari canal and adjoining wetland gets filled up, the drainage balance of the city will collapse. The irony is, despite the concern of the environmentalists and experts, authorities concerned are yet to take any measure to stop the illegal encroachment. The inundation of the capital city after a shower is too conspicuous to overlook. The city virtually comes to a standstill with vehicles clogging the roads and streets for hours together. On the other hand, if the open canals were in operation today the excess water would have been carried away in no time to everyone's relief. We wonder what more is needed to make the city planners wake up and take action. There is no denying that the capital city has to be kept functional since it is the hub of our economic and other developmental activities. As such, the authorities must have a system in place to keep the city free from such problems. We strongly suggest the relevant authorities to recover the canals from illegal grabbers and make them operational once again to save the capital city.
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