It was in January 2021 that the two city corporations of Dhaka took over the management and maintenance of 26 canals and 10 kilometres of box culverts from Dhaka Wasa, under whose authority the canals of our capital had become victims of clogging, pollution, and encroachment. With the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) and Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) taking over responsibility for the city’s canals, we had hoped that these issues would be resolved and we would not only have healthy canals, but also clearer roads in the monsoon. But five years on, it seems that we had hoped in vain. As a recent report by Bonik Barta revealed, neither city corporation has fully restored a single canal in the last five years. However, they have spent hundreds of crores on drainage development and other activities during the same period.

Whether city corporations are helmed by elected officials or administrators, it is expected that they would work in the best interests of the capital and its residents. Yet, despite political power changing hands three times in Bangladesh since 2021, there has been no pause in canals and their surrounding areas being encroached by influential entities. The mismanagement of canals has become so severe that many areas near these waterways become flooded following even light rainfall. Concerningly, the clogged canals also contribute to rising dengue mosquito populations.

Residents of the capital continue to suffer the consequences of laidback city corporations’ failure to manage roads, canals, etc. Yes, power has changed hands a few times. But why should that matter anyway? Are the public servants working in the DSCC and DNCC incapable of carrying out their designated work without some kind of signal from a political power? Does their sense of duty not originate from a will to do good for the residents of the capital? How is it that, despite the announcement of many canal restoration efforts over the last few years, encroachers are still grabbing these waterways unchallenged? The DSCC CEO claims that their work has been limited to cleaning canals, but the frequent waterlogging on even some main roads indicates otherwise.

The current government’s nationwide canal excavation campaign has renewed our hope that the state of these crucial waterways will be improved. We urge that the capital’s two city corporations are not only made to work more dedicatedly to this end, but also that they are held accountable for their failure of the last five years. With the monsoon upon us, waterlogging will only worsen. In the coming weeks, it is up to the city authorities to ensure that the capital does not become even more unliveable for its residents.