Every deluge inundates Dhaka

The record rainfall of 121mm in Dhaka on Thursday effectively put all major and minor roads and by lanes in Dhaka city under water. The residents of Dhaka city, rich and poor alike, bore the brunt of water logging that ensued and traffic crawled to a snail's pace. We have been complacent over the years about the seriousness of the situation. We have let petty greed take over and let realtors and land grabbers have their day and we stood by to let the ponds and culverts be filled up. Successive governments have come and gone and done little to take on these powerful interest groups, many of whom were deemed to be too close to the ruling house.

We were told that the division of the city into two city corporations was necessary to better handle the megacity Dhaka had become. Yet, the truth of the matter is that the Dhaka Area Plan (DAP) which was supposed to be the blueprint for the expansion of the city with ample water bodies has been discarded and tampered with by successive administrations. We have two city mayors who have little sway over the multiple agencies that govern our sewerage and drainage system.

Policymakers fail to comprehend that Dhaka is not just a city but a major hub for economic activity. This is the most important industrial and commercial centre and when Dhaka goes under water, we suffer major economic losses. Is it not time to put together one central agency that will oversee all other utility companies and coordinate construction and maintenance of the drainage system? We can ill afford to stray from the DAP map if we want to get out of this mess. Such a body has to be given the political patronage from the top to take on powerful groups who have for too long held Dhaka hostage.