The disappearing ponds of Dhaka

Once a lush green city full of canals, lakes and water bodies, Dhaka has now lost most of its natural beauty to rapid urbanisation. According to the Detailed Area Plan 2022 of Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk), there are a total of 3,464 ponds in its 1,528 sq-km jurisdiction. Of them, 205 are in the central Dhaka region. But between 2010 and 2019, Dhaka lost a staggering 3,440 acres out of the 9,556 acres of flood flow zones, water retention areas and water bodies to individuals, businesses, real estate developers and other organisations.

This monumental loss has put pressure on the country's water resources and raised serious concerns about the future of our water security. In fact, Bangladesh lags behind Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, and Afghanistan in water security. Adding to it, due to filling up of Dhaka's water bodies, the city simply cannot handle any heavy deluge. Nearly 90 percent of Dhaka is covered in concrete; rain water has no way of draining out, and we end up with intense waterlogging during heavy rainfalls.

Urban planning experts say water bodies should cover 12-15 percent area of Dhaka considering its population, but the current coverage is just around five percent. In the 30 years until 2016, more than 60 percent of wetlands in Dhaka have been lost. A visit in 2017 to 65 ponds marked on the map of the undivided Dhaka city based on a survey between 2003 and 2011 also confirms our worries. Many of them were found filled up, lost forever to urbanisation.

There is no sign that the onslaught on our water bodies will stop. Last year, the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) filled a water body near the Hajj Camp in Ashkona for a housing project. How can a government body show such disregard for our wetland protection law, which stipulates that there is no scope for filling a single pond or water body? The authorities need to ensure that the law is not just on paper. There have to be tangible actions to bring the violators to book.

To understand what is at stake, we must understand how important water bodies are. They hold great ecological and socioeconomic values, help biodiversity flourish, are important rainwater reservoirs, and contribute to storm water drainage. They play another critical role in congested urban areas such as Dhaka, where fires are all too frequent – an alternative hydrant system.

The incident at Bangabazar has reminded us just how numbered our water bodies are. Those that are left are in bleak conditions, calling for immediate interventions. The government must amp up monitoring and implement the relevant laws to protect them. We urge all authorities concerned to treat this matter with utmost sincerity before time runs out, and take stern action against the rampant destruction of our last remaining water bodies.