Canals filled with garbage, no water

Dhaka North City Corporation Mayor Atiqul Islam at different occasions said one will be able to travel by boat from canals to rivers.

However, the reality is one can cross four canals in DNCC on foot. The flow of water in four more canals has come to an end due to the accumulation of garbage.

The mayor took initiative and excavated these canals last year. The flow of water in the canals was restored then. But later there was no monitoring. As a result, the canals have accumulated garbage instead of flowing water.

Abu Siam Khan, a resident near the Rupnagar canal, said people will suffer if garbage in the canal is not cleared now.

There are 29 small and big canals in the DNCC area. Beside, there is a waterbody in Kalyanpur. Prothom Alo correspondent visited 13 canals and a waterbody on 12, 13 and 14 March. Of these, people can cross most of the four canals on foot. These four canals are Rupnagar canal, Digun canal (Eastern Housing of Pallabi), journalist colony canal (Pallabi) and Kalyanpur main canal (Gabtali).

Garbage has gathered in Katasur, Ramchandrapur and Kalyanpur Ka and Cha canals. Five canals are in better condition. These canals are Godakhali canal, Paris Road canal, Baunia canal, Ibrahimpur canal and Kalyanpur Kha canal. But the water of these canals is black and stinking. Almost the entire water body in Kalyanpur is covered in water hyacinth.

City planners fear different areas in the Dhaka North City Corporation may face waterlogging if there is heavy rainfall in the next rainy season.

They said once there was water logging at different areas under the Dhaka South City Corporation if there was heavy rainfall.

However, the situation has now changed. Waterlogging is taking place in different areas in Dhaka north if there is heavy rain.

Waterlogging took place in Farmgate, Mohammadpur, Shyamoli, Kalyanpur, Shewrapara, Kazipara, Mirpur, Rupnagar, Khilkhet, Narda and Badda areas under the Dhaka North City Corporation during the rainy season in the last two years. After heavy rainfall on 25 October 2022, water in Ramchandrapur canal in Mohammadpur overflowed and water entered households. At the time waterlogging took place at Mohammadia Housing Limited, Nobodoy Housing, Mohammadia Homes and nearby slum areas. There was knee-deep water on the bridge over the canal. The cleaners of Gabtali city colony were waterlogged for two days.

Besides, the road from No 14 to No 14 in Mirpur was inundated due to 87 millimeters water on 30 June last year. The road from Kazipara to Shewrapara went under water that day. Waterlogging took place in Karwan Bazar, Green Road and Dhanmondi Road 27 due to heavy rainfall on 7 October that year.

Rain water in different areas in Mirpur, Agargaon, Shyamoli and Mohammadpur flows to Kalyanpur water body via the Ramchandrapur and Kalyanpur main canal. Water from there is removed by irrigation pumps to the Buriganga river. While visiting on 15 March, it was found that the entire waterbody is covered in water hyacinth.

Kalyanpur main canal has mixed with that water body. The canal is 3.46 kilometers long and 18.36 feet wide. This canal begins from Kalyanpur area. The portion of the canal, which mixes with the waterbody, is filled in with garbage. One can walk across this garbage. On 15 March, it was found that two youths with sacks of grass on their heads were crossing the canal on foot.

The condition of Rupnagar canal is the same. This 3.8 kilometers long canal has mixed with 'Digun canal in the Eastern Housing residential area in Pallabi.

The canal in Rupnagar Tinshed residential area is entirely filled with garbage. The Digun canal begins where the Rupnagar canal ends. This canal has been filled with garbage. The condition of the journalist colony canal in Kalshi of Mirpur is the same.

Sohel Rana, a resident on the bank of the canal, speaking to Prothom Alo, said this canal has not been cleaned after the rainy season last year. People also throw garbage into the canal. There is no monitoring by the city corporation.

Garbage was seen gathering in Katasur canal in Mohammadpur area, Kalyanpur Cha-canal and Kalyanpur Ka canal. However, the city corporation has cleaned the garbage from the Paris Road canal (Mirpur 11) in February. As a result, there is a flow of water in this canal.  Baunia canal (Mirpur 14) and Ibrahimpur canal were excavated last year. There is a flow of water in these two canals too. But the water is black, dirty and stinking.

Dhaka North City Corporation mayor Atiqul Islam thinks it is a big challenge to keep the canals clean.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, he said the attitude of the people is that the city corporation will do everything. As a result, the canals are filled in with garbage even after these are cleared.

He also said it is possible for the city corporation to clear the canals once or twice, but the residents have to take the responsibility to keep the canals free from litter. If all the people don't come forward, nothing will be sustainable, Atiqul Islam added.

After taking responsibility of maintenance from Dhaka WASA in December 2020, Dhaka North City Corporation has spent over Tk 616 million to excavate 29 canals and one water body till June. This money has been spent for maintaining canal and drains, canal clearing and development and determining boundaries.

According to the budget book of the city corporation, the city corporation spent Tk 260 million in the financial year of 2020-21. TK 127 million was spent in the financial year of 2021-22 and Tk 229 million in the financial year of 2022-23. The city corporation has allocated Tk 530 million for maintenance in the current fiscal year.

Besides, the city corporation is implementing another project at the cost of Tk 270 million to rescue the canal from the illegal grabbers through identifying the boundary. This project was launched in January 2022 and was supposed to be completed by December that year. Later, the deadline was extended by two times till December 2023. But the project could not be implemented within the deadline. Now the deadline of the project has been extended by six months (next June).

Dhaka North City waste management department sources said workers are hired on daily wage basis for cleaning canals regularly. But the city corporation does not recruit those workers directly. The workers are recruited through contractors. But the tenure of the agreement with the contractors for recruiting workers ended in June last year. Afterwards, the regular canal cleaning work was halted for seven months. A new agreement was signed in January this year.

Preferring not to be named, an official at the waste management department said there was a rule that all the workers engaged by the contractor will work together for cleaning canals run through the wards under a region. There are 10 regions in the North City Corporation. Now the workers of a ward under a councilor are working. As a result, the work is being done separately. There is no proper monitoring. As a result, no canal is being cleaned properly.

The official also said the councilors are engaging workers, who are hired for cleaning canals, to clean streets and drains of the wards as there is a crisis of cleaners.

City planners said after taking responsibility from the Dhaka WASA three years ago, the North City Corporation showed sincerity to excavate and maintain canals, but later they could not continue. They said the excavation and development of canals have to be included in the priority list of the city corporation.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, Bangladesh Institute of Planners president Adil Muhammad Khan said the city corporation could not engage the residents on the bank of canals so that garbage is not thrown into the canals.

He also said the city corporation has no plan to continue the cleaning work of canals maintaining a monitoring system.

*This story, originally published in Prothom Alo print and online editions, has been rewritten in English by Rabiul Islam