With greenery wiped out, the city turns into a heat island

Infographic: TBS

Amid record high temperatures making the lives of Dhaka-dwellers miserable, the city corporations are felling trees in several places including Dhanmondi, further shrinking down greeneries to an alarming level. 

Ideally, a city should have at least 15% green space and 10-12% wetland but a recent study conducted by the Bangladesh Institute of Planners (BIP) found that in the last 28 years, green space in Central Dhaka has shrunk to 7.09% while wetlands occupy as low as 2.9% of the city.

At present, central Dhaka has only 10.42 sq km of green space which was around 19.78 sq km in 1995. On the other hand, wetland areas have decreased significantly to stand at only 4.28 sq km compared to 30.24 sq km in 1995, the study finds.

The findings of the study titled "28 Years of Reservoir and greenery destruction in The Capital: Reality and Salvation Roadmap" was revealed at a roundtable, jointly organised by the BIP and Urban Development Journalists Forum Bangladesh, at the BIP auditorium in the capital on Saturday. 

The event was organised on the occasion of World Environment Day.     

BIP survey area is 146.98 sq km, which is the area of the old Dhaka city corporation (central Dhaka) encompassing Gabtoli, Rupnagar, Mirpur Cantonment, Airport, Kuril, Gulshan, Dhanmondi, Motijheel, Old Dhaka, Farmgate, Shampur, Hazaribag, and others.

BIP General Secretary Sheikh Muhammad Mehdi Ahsan presented the keynote speech on the occasion.

Syeda Rizwana Hasan, chief executive of the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (Bela), Sultana Kamal, president of Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (Bapa) and LGRD Minister Tazul Islam were also present at the event.

Recently, Dhaka South fell trees on Sat Masjid Road in Dhanmondi. The cutting down of trees began in January 2023 as part of a developmental project of Dhaka South City despite protests by locals and environmentalists.

At the roundtable, BIP General Secretary Sheikh Muhammad Mehdi Ahsan said, "The city authorities fell trees and occupied the water bodies in the name of development. There is a huge lack of transparency in this kind of project."

Lack of awareness, weakness of legal framework and misuse of personal interests and power are the significant factors behind the destruction of green spaces and filling of reservoirs in the city, he said.

The BIP general secretary also added that Dhaka's two city corporations have taken some initiatives, including the restoration of canals, which deserve praise.

According to the BIP study report, attempts to set up new clubs, markets, and bazaars are eating up the space previously designated as parks and playgrounds. Besides, the concrete-covered area has increased in accordance with the latest development plans chalked out for parks.

Meanwhile, development works in Dhaka frequently result in erecting residential or commercial buildings by filling the wetlands.

The BIP study also noted that the existing land ownership in Dhaka is mostly private and despite approved guidelines for the conservation of specific land areas, it is not being followed here.

The study shows, in Dhaka city, there should be a two-acre playground and a one-acre park for 12,500 people but only a one-acre playground or park is available for every 37,900 people.

Dhaka North has a 251.7-acre park and playground while Dhaka South has a 340-acre park and playground. There is no playground in the 41 wards out of 129 wards of the two city corporations.

At the roundtable, Syeda Rizwana Hasan, chief executive of Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (Bela), said Dhaka does not have the capacity to hold such a population as not only living space is enough for a sustainable lifestyle of a human being but wetlands and greenery are also needed. 

"Rajuk is filling up water bodies, excavating forests and making plots in Purbachal. I think the Rajuk board should be reformed because everyone here is a bureaucrat," she added.

Sultana Kamal, president of Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (Bapa), said, "Occupying the green spaces and water bodies is not only a technical, social, or cultural move but also political. Corrupt and wicked people are occupying these assets, making Dhaka as they wish. They do not want green spaces and parks because they and their children are more comfortable living abroad."

LGRD Minister Tazul Islam said, "There is also a need to have a certain limit on how many people can live in Dhaka city to protect the green spaces and wetlands. Any good plan and civic amenities are bound to collapse due to the pressure of too many people."

Dhaka turning into a heat island

Dhaka residents are having their hottest days in recent memories. The temperature, which crossed 40 degrees Celsius in April, was the highest in 58 years. But it feels 5-6 degrees higher than the actual reading.

According to field surveys of the Centre for Atmospheric Pollution Studies (Caps), summertime temperatures in Dhaka were 3-4 degrees Celsius higher in heavily urbanised areas than in areas with more green coverage and water bodies.

Caps Director Dr Ahmad Kamruzzaman Majumder told The Business Standard, "Comparing data of May 2017 and May 2023, it was found that the temperature has increased significantly, with central Dhaka experiencing higher temperatures than its surrounding areas. This rise can be attributed to the shrinking greenery and waterbodies in the city."

"Dhaka's air quality and temperature are particularly related to the existing greenery and water reservoirs. Roads and buildings (concrete areas) act as heat storage and increase the surrounding temperatures. As a result, Dhaka is turning into a heat island day by day. We need to plant a lot of trees and there should be some guidelines for the use of colours on buildings and roads," Kamruzzaman added.

Among the cities of neighbouring countries, Dhaka City is placed at the bottom for greenery space and livable cities.

In Mumbai city, the ratio of green spaces to total area fell from 46.7% in 1988 to 26.67% in 2018. According to 2017 data, the green cover area of Singapore is 47%, which increased from 36% in the 1980s.

Professor Adil Mohammed Khan, the executive director of the Institute for Planning and Development (IPD), told TBS, "Our policymakers must find a way out of the current situation of Dhaka's greenery and water bodies. Trees should be planted wherever possible and water bodies should be conserved."

The town planner said the government has filled green areas like Azimpur with concrete structures through various projects. In the extended areas of Dhaka, 35-40% of the land should be earmarked for greening but we are not seeing it. 

"Different countries in the world have green belts and we need to mark such areas around Dhaka and plant large trees," Adil Mohammed added.