Rains and Dhaka streets

This can be seen all around Dhaka! No area is spared from the indifference of the authorities.

Particularly mention worthy is Shantinagar, Rajarbagh, Motijheel and the surrounding areas, including some areas in Gulshan.

And even if the jammed waste is manually emptied (perhaps only 60%), putting life of cleaners at high risk, the filth is right there, only inches away from the open drain.

After some time the same heap slowly takes refuge where it came from! No service people of solid waste is coordinating and removing the same. So, money, time, effort all go in vain! We keep on suffering in spite of this eyewash.

The government announces from time to time its plan for 'Beautification' of city areas. Actual beauty will be in efforts to keep the city clean in its existing form and shape. No new arches, towers or memorials are to be built to make 'development' more visible. Let us try to look down, right next to our feet, if city streets are beautiful enough. The miseries are too much, too large to be talked about!

As the Capital city of a country, Dhaka city is not at all cared for and the bare civic necessities are far away from our imagination. Very little is spent on cleaning, in spite of the rapid growth of Dhaka.

Our planners and engineers should visit some other developing and dense cities to study the measures taken to keep life functioning through proper maintenance of the drainage system. But for now, please flush the drains. There are equipments available to do this job.

If election is a fear-factor, let the government think seriously about 'properly and totally' removing the jammed filth in the drains, so that people (students, office goers, business people) can move in the rainy season. No quick fix is necessary for election by making 'visible monuments'. But the WASA should clean drains and remove the contents immediately by coordinating with the waste removers through making prior arrangements.

There is absolutely no coordination, no accountability, and no audit check on job done. Because the 'cake is there for everyone'!