People complaining about flooding of Dhaka streets after two days of torrential rain should visit Mumbai and Kolkata, according to Bangladesh's local government minister. "You haven't seen proper waterlogging in Dhaka, for that you must go to Kolkata and Mumbai. It is an issue suffered by growing cities across the world. But we will find a solution," said Khandker Mosharraf Hossain.
He was responding to questions by journalists during a discussion on medical waste management at a hotel in Dhaka yesterday. The government is waiting to recover all of Dhaka's 47 canals, Hossain said.The canals once recovered will be dug up to ensure proper management, and the issue of waterlogging in Dhaka will be gone in one year, he said.
A reporter then told the minister that he gave the same assurance one year ago. "I said it three months ago: allow us some time," the minister replied.A land depression over the Bay led to two days of torrential rain over the weekend. Dhaka residents suffered extensively because of excess rainwater flooding vital streets and low-lying neighborhoods.
When asked about steps being taken to allay the suffering, Mosharraf said, "Can I say all that standing here? Dhaka's population should have been limited to 7 or 10 million. But the actual number is three times that size."The city corporations and the Water Supply and Sewerage Authority or WASA were struggling to keep up with the unplanned growth of the capital city, he said. "Waterlogging can be reduced in stages if the city corporations of Dhaka are integrated into the planning process, after that WASA can take their lead."
-bdnews24.com
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