Institute for Planning and Development (IPD) on Sunday urged the authorities concerned to protect the waterbodies in the capital and adjacent areas to put an end to waterlogging.
Canals and other open waterbodies are being filled by influential people, companies and even by the government that leads to waterlogging problems in the city during monsoon, says a statement sent by IPD executive director Adil Muhammed Khan.
Referring to earth filling of a waterbody in the city's Ashkona area recently, the statement said usually it is observed that waterbodies are filled by influential quarters or private companies but the waterbody in Ashkona has been filled under the management of a government organisation Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB).
Expressing grave concern over the incident, IPD said, "When a government entity gets involved in such unjust and illegal initiatives, it can be assumed why we have been failing to establish a sustainable and liveable city."
The filling of the reservoir in Ashkona is a clear violation of the Dhaka Metropolitan Development Plan (DMDP), Detailed Area Plan (DAP) for Dhaka city, the Town Improvement Act, 1953, Natural Water Reservoir Conservation Act 2000, and other environment-related laws, the statement added.
Waterbodies should cover at least 12 to 15 per cent area of a city and effectiveness of the drainage channels depends on the water-holding capacity of those wetlands.
Unfortunately, parts of wetlands in Dhaka city have been disappearing indiscriminately, and the authorities concerned like Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK), bifurcated Dhaka city corporations, Dhaka district administration and the Department of Environment have not taken that much steps to stop it.
The IPD demanded exemplary punishment to the people and organisations responsible for disappearance of the waterbodies.
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