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Dhaka's environment suffers urban impact

Dr. Md. Shajrul Mashreque
***Dhaka is virtually seething with urban impact on its environment. Any time it may burst to the utter distress of its dwellers. So far we have failed in taking preventive measures. Now, should we fail, too, to take any curative measures?***
URBAN studies of late obviously aim at environmental issues. As a matter of fact there is a thrust on the impact of unplanned urbanization on city environment. Admittedly major urban areas in Bangladesh are the seats of the forcesofeivilization: ?
Dhaka is the capital as well as district and divisional headquarters. The total population of the city is!3 million. Dhaka is a 'historic city' with a legendary past running into hundreds of years.' It possesses a distinct 'cultural identity'. It is the seat of central government growing up as a politico-administrative centre with the preponderance of political and bureaucratic influences. The city has gradually turned into a hub of cultural and commercial
activities. A lot of educational institutions scattered here and there represent one of the marked patterns of its contemporary phase of urbanization.
Dhaka represents a prototype of cosmopolitan urbanization with technological revolution in communication. ICT for illustration, and strikingly dynamic trends in mobility pattern /V-timc^W in swamped with environmental hazards reflected in conflicting variables. All development management with input needs like water, gas, power and energy including the environmental attributes of land-use, drainage, solid and liquid wastes, air and adjoining sub-urbs. has turned out to become counterproductive increasing stress on environment.
Developmental trends in the city emphasizing environmental modifications are
rather non-ecological. Manenvironment interface in Dhaka in the wake of misdirected urban development
that seriously impairs ecology has become a matter of concern for the urban planners.
Recently growth in and
around Dhaka is extremely unplanned showing a high degree of congestion and overcrowding and malfunc-
tioning of the traffic system. High-rise buildings are springing up . Many of such buildings tend to serve commercial purposes. Business activities are found in 'greater or lesser degree all along the roads' and pavements but 'intensify at the cross-roads.' The city exhibits a very high density 'human population' with inadequate space to live and much lesser road infrastructures to move. The rapidly growing urban population in Dhaka and its outskirts is enhancing environmental pollution posing problems to human health and threatening the general quality of life'
Environmental degradation stems from rural-urban migration. Folks from villages
and small market towns with rural characteristics flock to the metropolitan urban centers full of development activities. All such development activities centering on urbanization come in disharmony with ecological factors leading to 'gradual degradation of life-support systems including air, water and land'. Enormous population pressure in the core of the city and even its sub-urbs aggravates situation.
Drainage is poor. Most drains remain chocked. Flooding and water logging during rainy season very much trouble the pedestrians. Rain water with waste accumulates; resultantly roads, lanes and by-lanes become the polluted pools'.
Over the recent couple of decades urbanization in Dhaka has assumed greater significance' influencing 'growth, distribution, density
and structure of population.' Even then there is no proper system of waste disposal. There is a generation of 'organic pollution hazard'. The garbage spreads in heaps all over the filthy city points. Well maintained garbage disposal system is lacking. In many city-points some amount of solid waste is discharged into the drains or canals causing a great deal of pollution. Garbage disposal requires responsible urban governance which is supposed to take immediate action.
Dhaka is virtually seething with urban impact on its environment Any time it may burst to the utter distress of its dwellers. So far we have failed in taking preventive measures. Now, should we fail, too, to take any curative measures?
The writer is Professor, department of Public Administration, Chittagong University.