Roads made on 10 Dhaka canals

The suicidal decision created scope for water logging
Around 10 canals of the city have either been filled up entirely or turned into box culverts to construct roads, aggravating the water logging problems.
Roads were constructed in Rayerbazar, Rajabazar, Gopibagh and Shyampur Kadamtala filling up canals and constructing storm water and sewerage lines.
Segunbagicha canal, Dholai Khal-1, Dholai Khal-2, Debdholai Khal and Paribagh canal have been narrowed down for building box culverts. These covered water passages remain clogged due to lack of maintenance.
Part of the Dholpur canal was filled up for constructing road while the rest was turned into a box culvert. A portion of Hajaribagh canal was filled up for a road while other portion is still open for water flow, said an official of Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Wasa).
Dhaka City Corporation and Wasa constructed the box culverts in the 90s and early this decade, said officials of DCC and Wasa.
Architect Iqbal Habib, member secretary of urbanisation and good governance committee of Bangladesh Paribesh Andolan, said construction of box culverts was totally wrong. These culverts remain clogged, as they are not cleaned up resulting in water stagnation. He identified this as a reason for water logging in different city neighbourhoods.
Prof Mujibur Rahman of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology said box culvert is hydraulically most inefficient flow channel.
Construction of box culverts usually results in gradual reduction of the flow as sedimentation continues due to lack of regular maintenance, he explained.
Box culverts are suitable only for places where fresh water flows through it and maintenance work is done regularly, he said adding that unfortunately, waste water including human excreta go through the box culverts of the city and the maintenance work is very irregular.
“The box culverts blocked many of our important drainage channels including Dholai Khal, once a regular route for passenger boats [Goaina nauka],” he said.
The DCC turned Dholai Khal-1 and Dholai Khal-2 into box culverts during the 90s.
Dholai Khal-2 used to flow into the Buriganga from Dayaganj Bazar via Sutrapur, Gendaria, Dayaganj, Wari and Shahar Dhaka Mouja while Dholai Khal-1 originating from Dholai Khal-2 and emptied into the Buriganga near the second Buriganga Bridge, said a Wasa official.
Nazrul, a resident of Gendaria, recalled that the canals had very fresh flow of water till 1975 and they used to catch fish and bathe there.
As the canals were interlinked and also linked with rivers, people could travel by boats, he said.
Debdholai canal had links with Dholai Khal but the DCC had turned it into a box culvert in 2004-2005.
Mir Hajirbagh resident Omar Faruk recalled that Debdholai canal had links with Dholai Khal and the Balu through canals in Trimohoni. “The canal was 100 feet wide even 10 years ago. It was gradually encroached upon. Many Mir Hajirbagh residents constructed buildings on the canal,” he said.
The Dhanmondi canal was turned into a box culvert up to Panthapath (south of Hotel Sonargaon) from Mirpur Road.
Wasa constructed a box culvert from Syedabad Bridge to Maniknagar Pukurpar and a road was built from Maniknagar Pukurpar to Rajarbagh on Dholpur canal.
The Gopibagh canal, stretching up to Segunbagicha-Arambagh canal from Gopibagh, has now disappeared to make room for a road. The canal was filled up around 12 years ago and the DCC constructed a road over it four years later, said Sirajul Islam, a resident of Gopibagh.
Once 1.28km-long, the Shyampur-Kadamtoli canal was filled up, the DCC built a road there too.
The Rayerbazar canal used to flow through the flood protection embankment (Beribadh) into the Turag via Saraijafarabad and Sultanganj. It has also given way to the construction of a road.
A Wasa official said they were taking various steps to save the remaining canals by conducting anti-encroachment drives, recovering land and cleaning up the clogged waterways.
“We will recover around two km of Kalshi, Baistaki canals, 500 metres of Hajaribagh canal, 500 metres of Kalyanpur Ka Khal,” he said, adding that initiative to recover land for Kalyanpur Ga Khal has also been taken.
The officials see the prospect of reopening a portion of Hajaribagh canal, once the tanneries there are relocated.

Courtesy of The Daily Star