Saving Dhaka's Wetlands

The Dhaka North City Corporation's (DNCC’s) recent call for a moratorium on the sale and conversion of lands in areas earmarked under the Detailed Area Plan (DAP) is most pragmatic. Alongside this, the DNCC has urged restrictions on tax collection in these areas to help preserve the waterbodies, open fields and parks as envisioned in the DAP, which is vital for improving the capital's environment, biodiversity and quality of life. Reportedly, the DNCC has also initiated plans to create water-centric parks in areas such as Badda, Aftabnagar and Mirpur. If implemented, these waterparks would not only serve as areas for water retention but also add scenic beauty and relief to the otherwise lifeless concrete jungle of Dhaka.

The DAP, an ambitious urban development blueprint for 2022-2035, designates specific areas as wetlands, including waterbodies, flood flow zones and water retention areas. These ecological spaces are indispensable for flood management, groundwater recharge and maintaining biodiversity. Yet, over the years, most of Dhaka's wetlands have indiscriminately been filled up, exposing the city to irreversible environmental degradation. Once teemed with fish and migratory birds, these wetlands have been reduced to barren land and aggressively occupied by real estate developments or industries. This reckless encroachment has been driven by runaway population growth, poor governance and an unrestrained culture of land grabbing. Tragically, policymakers failed to appreciate that the disappearance of wetlands would have disastrous consequences for both the city's environment and its residents. Only a handful of urban experts and environmentalists have consistently warned against this suicidal trend of destroying the natural reservoirs that sustain life.

The situation is no better when it comes to rivers, canals and ponds. These water bodies, once central to Dhaka's drainage and water management systems, have also been subjected to encroachment, pollution and even obliteration. The authorities' inexplicable indifference to this crisis is unpardonable. As a result, a large number of rivers, canals, and wetlands have already disappeared. Even today, the city authorities are engaged in protracted battles with land grabbers to reclaim what remains of the canals that were once lifelines of Dhaka's drainage network.  Ideally, a liveable city should have at least 15 per cent green space and 10-12 per cent wetlands. But a study by the Bangladesh Institute of Planners (BIP) found that green space in central Dhaka has shrunk to just 7.09 per cent, while wetlands cover to a meagre 2.9 per cent of the city area. This exposes how urbanisation in Dhaka has gone astray. Unplanned development has been prioritised over environmental balance, and the consequences are evident in the city's declining air quality, comparatively higher temperature, frequent waterlogging and loss of biodiversity.

It is, therefore, imperative to take immediate and effective measures to rein inunplanned and chaotic urbanisation. In this regard, the DNCC's latest initiative is commendable. The Dhaka South City Corporation should also follow suit. Conserving wetlands, reclaiming canals, protecting parks, and expanding green spaces are not luxuries; they are the prerequisites for making Dhaka liveable. Only by striking a balance between growth and ecological preservation can Dhaka hope to become a truly liveable and sustainable city. The DNCC's call for action should therefore be heeded with utmost urgency, and more importantly, followed by strict enforcement. Otherwise, the capital's residents will continue to pay the price of shortsightedness for generations to come.