The concrete jungle

In every part of Dhaka there are schools, hospitals, shopping malls, beauty parlors, and numerous establishments and organisations. Dhaka, during the rush hours, appears like a chaotic mega city. In fact, it is a city of crowds, bustling all the time.

This has happened because most of the people think that Dhaka is the only place with better opportunities, which are not available in other towns and the rural areas. This myth has inspired thousands of them to come to Dhaka, in many cases with their entire families. The impact of this huge influx of people can be felt at every level. During summer, people face the reality when the crisis of water and electricity becomes more apparent.

Moreover, Dhaka is expanding in an unplanned way, which cannot yield any positive outcome. Dhaka has become unfit for living. Current trends of rapid urban growth are making people vulnerable to disasters. But, the fact is that urbanisation is here and it is here to stay. So, we should better consider the challenges associated with it.

Every single day, more and more people are coming to the city in search of jobs and better living conditions. The first challenge is to fulfill the growing demand. People are deprived of the basic facilities. Dhaka city dwellers, for instance, suffer from acute water crisis in every dry season, namely from March to June. People living in areas like Niketon, Mohammadpur, Mirpur, Shyamoli, Farmgate etc have to buy water from Dhaka Wasa.

However, the water that they get is not enough to cater to their normal household needs. The government steps have been proved ineffective so far. Also, excessive dependence on groundwater is a threat as the groundwater layer is dropping. However, the authority is not very concerned about it. It is not possible to use surface water either because it is equally polluted.

With more and more people moving into the capital city, there is a dire need for land. Land is so scarce that people have filled in the rivers around the city to make space for new housing. Mass evictions are on the rise as landowners clear out slums to make way for more profitable building projects.

Housing developers are more interested in making the maximum profits by building high-rises. As a result, wherever you look, you will see modern structures and buildings. Besides, the city is expanding in all directions without any proper planning. Thus, the city is losing its greenery and the land is now used for commercial purposes.

Because of lack of commitment and political will, the present government, just like the past ones, has failed to bring about any real improvement. The reason behind every crisis in the capital is that everything is done on an ad-hoc basis. Every government blames the lack of coordination between the utility agencies.

Certainly, if things are left as they are now, Dhaka will soon turn into the worst kind of concrete jungle, and therefore will become totally unlivable. Still, we dream of a Dhaka which may be a healthy city some day, where all the city dwellers have access to basic utilities.