The chief executive officer of Dhaka South City Corporation, Md Mizanur Rahman, said that due to heavy rainfall in short duration, there had been some delay in the receding of water from the areas under the city corporation's jurisdiction.
He said that the city鈥檚 drainage systems have been clogged by large amounts of polyethene and plastic waste due to the residents鈥� lack of awareness, further slowing down the drainage process.
Speaking at a press briefing on Saturday afternoon at Buriganga Hall of the DSCC headquarters, CEO Md Mizanur Rahman addressed the issue of water stagnation that occurred following Friday鈥檚 heavy rainfall.
He emphasised the extensive efforts made by the DSCC to alleviate the water stagnation in specific areas of the city.
Mizanur Rahman said, 鈥楩rom 6:00am to 12:00pm yesterday, 130 millimetres of rain fell intermittently, and rain continued until 1:30pm, which is much higher than normal levels. The drainage systems, designed with catch pits every 50 feet, couldn鈥檛 effectively manage the water flow due to the accumulation of plastic and polythene waste. Although we are continuously cleaning these catch pits, the waste keeps clogging them, causing delays in water drainage and resulting in waterlogging.鈥�
He also highlighted that the increase in river water levels due to rain has hindered the efficiency of the sluice gates, which are critical for water drainage.
鈥榃e received 55 sluice gates and regulators from the Water Development Board in 2021. Despite all sluice gates being operational, the elevated river water levels around Dhaka have prevented the sluice gates from functioning at full capacity, further delaying water drainage,鈥� he added.
Regarding the water pumping efforts, Md Mizanur Rahman mentioned, 鈥楾hrough the water pump stations in Kamlapur and Dholaikhal, seven pump machines have been operating. From 6:30am yesterday to 12:00pm today, these pumps have removed 143.55 crore litres of water.鈥�
He said work was under way to reduce stagnated water in New Market and its surroundings, 鈥楾he water drainage outlet in the New Market area was closed by the Border Guard Bangladesh for security reasons. After discussions, we received permission to establish a new drainage line through Pilkhana. The tender process is in its final stages, and work will begin soon, which will resolve the water stagnation issue in the New Market area. Additionally, the water from Green Road, Kalabagan, and the adjacent areas is being drained through Hatirjheel.
However, due to the ongoing Elevated Expressway construction, the drainage capacity via Hatirjheel has been significantly reduced, contributing to water stagnation in these areas. Until these development projects are completed, it won鈥檛 be possible to fully resolve the waterlogging issue.鈥�
Other officials present at the press briefing included the Chief Waste Management Officer Mohammad Nasim Ahmed, Superintendent Engineer Md. Khairul Bakar, Executive Engineer Dr. Shafiullah Siddiqui Bhuiyan, and Executive Engineer Noor Mohammad.
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