The city
Munir Uz Zaman / Driknews
Since the time Bangladesh emerged as an independent country with Dhaka as its capital, the city has been expanding rapidly in a very unplanned and uncontrolled manner. Today nearly 10% of the country's population live in Dhaka. The pressure of population is increasing every day. Our country does not have the resource or the means to maintain such a mega city with the required facilities. Our traffic system is terrible and even after massive investment in underground trains and multi-storeyed overhead roads the situation will only marginally improve. It will not be considered satisfactory. Then there is shortage of electricity, water, gas and other essential services. Most of the multi-storeyed housing complexes will not be able to withstand a earthquake of the magnitude that struck China recently. We are in the earthquake zone. The last major earthquake to hit the city was nearly 100 years ago and another major earthquake is due any time. Should a earthquake strike Dhaka city, it will become a city of rubbles. There will be huge loss of life and property. When we take these factors into consideration, we do not find any justification for having all our eggs in one basket. The only way to save this city would be to stop its further growth and expansion. I suggest that as the first step we shift our capital to a less earthquake prone place in the western half of the country. Once that is done we should fully decentralise administration and concentrate on developing twelve to fifteen cities in the country, each should accommodate a maximum of half a million people. These will be achieved a lot more easily than trying to make Dhaka what it will never be even after massive investment. The new cities could be developed in a planned manner.
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