Rainwater drainage
Photo: Munir uz Zaman / Driknews
A front page lead report, on this important matter was published in a local English daily on June 29. It very rightly highlighted the need for an urgent solution to the illegal land encroachment that has jeopardised the natural rainwater drainage system of greater Dhaka. Today, most of these shallow low-lying natural water-bodies draining rainwater to the rivers have been filled and built up by greedy landowners and builders. This is rooted in many evil partnerships of concerned people; mostly from LGRD and Land Records and greedy land grabbers, who have jointly connived to do this great harm to our environment, particularly due to serious water-logging during heavy rain. Wasa cannot solve this fairly involved problem by itself. The government must collectively act with concerned departments and public bodies like Wasa and Rajuk, to restore all these illegally grabbed land. These may have even been subsequently legalised through motivated clearances from related departments and ministries of the government over the years. All these past land files and deeds must be un-scrambled; sorted out, and the proper natural drainage route established. It is not an easy task, for a lot of records need to be scrutinized and evaluated. Once the drainage channel is established, all illegal, quasi-legal or even legal lands will have to be repossessed. Where needed, land should be officially acquired in the overall national interest without any let or hindrance from any quarter; including interested government and public bodies if any. Establishing and restoring greater Dhaka's natural storm water drainage, must be done on top priority basis. Where it has been illegally occupied, the cost of restoration to earlier (unfilled) level must be recovered from such illegal landowners! The work must go ahead on top priority basis, and the public be made aware of its need, for the drainage of rainwater, for everyone's benefit. Once this is made clear to most people, and the work taken up, it will not be possible for successive governments to stop or hinder it, even if there are subjective interests behind it. The government should issue an executive order so that Wasa, Rajuk and LGRD Ministry jointly take up this work, which may even be monitored by an independent 'Citizens Committee' to see that the work proceeds without any delay anywhere!
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