Four projects, crores of taka, eight years and a submerged Chattogram
The Business Standard spoke to three experts to understand the depth of the waterlogging crisis plaguing Chattogram
Incessant torrential rain has created havoc in the port city, inundating almost two-thirds of areas and causing unprecedented suffering for the city dwellers over the last five consecutive days.
Three organisations have been implementing at least four projects involving Tk15,000 crore for the last eight years, but have yet to provide any hope of relief. The Chattogram Development Authority is implementing two of these projects, while the Water Development Board is implementing one. The Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) is handling one project.
However, the crisis submerged new areas of the city under knee-high to waist-high water.
Experts blame faulty projects, incompetence of implementing authorities, lack of coordination among the implementing agencies and adverse impact of climate change for the surging waterlogging in the port city.
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The Business Standard spoke to Engineer Subhash Barua, president of Planned Chattogram, also a member of the Master Plan Drafting Committee of CDA in 1995, Architect Reza Kaiser, former chief city planner of CCC and a disaster management expert, and Syeda Zarina Hossain, Professor of Architecture Department of Leading University and city planning expert, to understand the depths of the crisis.
What is the underlying cause of waterlogging in Chattogram?
Because of the impact of climate change, there has been excessive rainfall during monsoons. This is causing an increasing quantity of water to flow through the shrinking drains and canals, [which] is the main reason for waterlogging in the port city.
Unplanned urbanisation and incompetence of the organisations in maintaining drainage systems and implementing projects are also responsible for the waterlogging in the city.
To what extent is CDA, CCC and climate change responsible for waterlogging?
Climate change will take its toll. We have to be ready to face the impact. The government agency CDA is responsible for planning and implementing projects to mitigate the problems, and CCC is responsible for waste management to keep the canals clean.
Both the authorities are responsible for the waterlogging in the city.
Why has there been no solution despite the implementation of four projects in the last eight years?
Every project needs detailed planning before being implemented on the field. Eight years have gone by [and] the authorities are yet to complete land acquisition in many areas where the canals are being repaired or excavated, which is a major obstacle in implementing the projects.
The institutions do not even have enough manpower to monitor the project implementation. Moreover, the faulty plan is responsible for us not getting any results in the last eight years.
Low-lying vacant areas and water bodies were natural catchment areas for rainwater. As both of these have been filled up with earth to implement housing projects, the excessive water has no place to settle. As a result, rainwater is getting stuck in the city's roads and low-lying areas.
The under-construction drainage projects do not have the ability to drain out the excessive rainwater and so, there has been no improvement in the waterlogging situation.
What is the financial impact of all this?
Waterlogging not only causes a loss of [about] Tk100 crore to businesses in the city every day, but also brings untold suffering to millions of city dwellers.
Are steps taken to resolve the waterlogging successful?
The steps taken by Chattogram Development Authority are re-excavation, expansion, renovation and development of canals in Chattogram City to alleviate waterlogging. These are scheduled to end in December this year.
The project is set to reclaim 36 canals and construct 176km of retaining walls, 45 bridges, drains and footpaths. [However], there has been no sign of improvement in waterlogging [so far]. The steps have already failed to resolve the problem.
What steps can be taken now to relieve the city from this crisis?
All the projects implemented by the three organisations should be reviewed by forming [a committee of] highly expert engineers and architects, to find out the faults in the planning, and resolve them.
I urge the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) of the Planning Commission to monitor and evaluate the projects to check why they have failed to improve the situation in eight years.
What are the underlying reasons behind waterlogging in Chattogram?
Six organisations CCC, CDA, WASA, WDB, Bangladesh Railway and Chattogram Port Authority are connected to the water logging problem in the port city. All the organisations have their own master plan and they operate separately.
There is no coordination among the organisations, which is the main reason behind the lingering waterlogging crisis in the port city.
To what extent are authorities like CDA, CCC responsible and to what extent is climate change responsible?
The CDA started implementing a project to resolve waterlogging in 2017 and the project area is under CCC jurisdiction. I worked as chief city planner of CCC till 2020, but the CDA had never informed me anything about the project. If the CDA had discussed the project with us, we could help them in many ways in implementing the project.
Why has there been no solution despite the implementation of four projects in the last eight years?
The majority of hills in the city are owned by the Railway [Ministry] and they are occupied by illegal encroachers. When the hills are cut or razed, the sandy soil of the hills gets washed away by the rainwater and fills up the drains and canals, blocking the drainage system.
As there is no coordination with the Railway, the CCC cannot stop the hill cutting and the canals get filled up, causing waterlogging. Even after completing four projects, there is no hope of resolving this problem.
What are the losses the city is incurring?
The economic loss the city incurs is more than Tk1,000 core every year, which is recoverable. But the sustainability the city is losing is not recoverable.
Are steps taken to resolve waterlogging successful?
The steps taken to resolve the problem cannot be considered successful as there is no noticeable improvement in the situation.
What can be done now?
Until all organisations sit together at a table and discuss matters with an open mind, there is no way to resolve the water logging problem of the city. Sluicegates should be constructed at the mouth of all the canals, as the tide water can then be barred from entering the canals and logged water can be released during low tide. Retaining walls and roads on both banks of the canals should be constructed to protect the canals from being occupied.
What are the reasons behind waterlogging in Chattogram city?
A drainage system is not the only way of getting rid of flash floods or waterlogging in urban areas. A city must have a substantial amount of open areas and water-bodies where rainwater can be retained.
Almost all the open spaces that were recommended to be kept open in the Master Plan of CDA in 1995 have been occupied for housing projects. Also, individual landowners are also building multistoried buildings at the cost of the environment. Filling up the low-lying areas and implementing housing projects is the main reason behind waterlogging in the port city.
To what extent are CDA, CCC and climate change responsible for waterlogging?
Due to the impact of climate change, the sea level will rise and rainfall will increase. We cannot stop the environment. But we can be prepared to build resilience.
Unfortunately, both the CDA and CCC have no competence in planning and implementing projects to resolve waterlogging issues. Not only are government agencies CDA and CCC responsible, but all city dwellers are also responsible for the water logging.
Why has there been no solution to waterlogging despite the implementation of four projects in the last eight years?
Naturally, water flows downwards, if you do not leave any open space where will the water go? The CDA has been implementing the projects without conducting any feasibility studies, which is another reason for us not getting any results in eight years.
I doubt there will be any result at the end of the implementation of the projects.
What are the losses the city is incurring?
The city is losing sustainability, which is alarming. If things continue unabated in this way, the entire city will turn into an abandoned place, like the Agrabad Residential area.
Are the steps taken to resolve the waterlogging successful?
All the steps taken to resolve the issue are not up to the mark, as there was no feasibility study. I do not see a prospect for the projects. These are just a waste of government money.
What can be done now?
We must create lakes and water bodies to retain rainwater, widen the canals, stop cutting hills, and manage solid waste in a scientific way, to resolve the waterlogging problem.
