Kudos to efforts of city authorities but...

A big thank you to Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority and the two Dhaka city corporations for their frantic efforts to clear garbage and mud blocking underground sewers way ahead of the rainy season. But it apparently seems that their efforts will go in vain.

After the sewers have been declogged, the sludge has not been immediately taken away for safe disposal and instead have been left piled up out on the streets. Residents of different areas said if it rains again, the mud and garbage will flow down into the drains and again cause blockages, leading to waterlogging.

In different areas, the garbage and mud have been lying on the road for several days and it is now a common scenario that those remain present for weeks as those who cleaned the sewers, in many cases, do not bother to take it to designated spots.

Some workers employed by Dhaka Wasa cleaned storm water drains at West Raza Bazar on April 20 but the waste that has been brought out was still there till filing of this report on the evening of April 24.

Md Shaheed, 45, running a tailor's shop in the area, said the sludge was brought out and kept beside his shop two weeks back and continues to lie there.

“Drain cleaners even cleaned drains around two months back, which went back into the drain again after a heavy rain as they did not bother to take it away from the place,” he said.

The garbage even caused sufferings to his customers who often objected to it, he said.

“Whenever I ask to take away the garbage, they (cleaners) just give false assurances,” said Shaheed.

For this practice they have to face severe waterlogging in the area, said Pratim, a private university student residing in the area for the last two years.

The rainy season is the worst season to live in the area as he has to take a rickshaw to move from one ally to another as everything goes under ankle to knee-deep water, he said.

“We have seen the cleaning work around 10 days back but the garbage, which was kept beside the lid of the manhole, is still there,” said Sohel Ahmed, a resident of Satis Sarkar Road of Gendaria. If the rains come, then all the work of the authority will go in vain as the garbage will go into the drain again, he said.