Dhaka’s monsoon woes

The latest bout of monsoon rains has once again exposed the capital city's woefully inadequate drainage system and the extent of the damage it can cause to people and businesses alike. The tragic incident of four individuals, including a family of three, being electrocuted on a waterlogged street in Mirpur on Thursday – after a live electric wire fell on the water – may be an extreme case in point. But it does serve as a grim reminder of the dangers posed to people when recurring issues such as poor drainage and infrastructure are left unaddressed.

On Thursday night, as incessant rain showered the city, numerous neighbourhoods in Dhaka were plunged into chaos. Even major thoroughfares like Manik Mia Avenue and Mirpur Road near Dhanmondi-27 remained waterlogged and gridlocked until late into the night. As a result, not only did residents and commuters suffer, but businesses also incurred heavy losses. Many areas remained under waist-to-knee-deep water even on Friday, leading to all sorts of troubles. A city that saw 113 millimetres of rain in a single evening – the highest in a day this year – should have a functional drainage system capable of channelling away the excess water. But Dhaka's current infrastructure is evidently falling drastically short.

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Will there be relief from waterlogging?

The question is: how long must residents suffer from what has become an inescapable outcome of any above-average rainfall? In recent weeks, we have seen similarly crippling instances of waterlogging in other major cities as well, including Chattogram. You hear of initiatives taken to dredge canals and clean up drains, but those remain clogged nonetheless. In Dhaka, the two city corporations officially took over the responsibility of managing canals and drains from Dhaka Wasa on December 31, 2020. The changing of the guardianship was expected to make things work better and faster, neither of which has happened. There are also bigger issues involved: given the chaotic nature of urbanisation in Bangladesh, with low-lying areas being filled, is only clearing existing drains and connecting canals enough anymore?

Dhaka's inadequate drainage system is but one of the fallouts of how the overall urban infrastructure is being planned. Given the gravity of the situation at present, where even regular rainfall exceeds its drainage capacity, the urgency of addressing Dhaka's woes cannot be overemphasised. It's time for the authorities to step up and do whatever necessary to build a functional drainage system that can protect the city from perennial waterlogging.