Experts Blame Systemic Planning Failures for Dhaka Urban Flooding Crisis
Urban flooding in Dhaka is a man-made crisis driven by institutional incoordination and failed urban planning, according to experts speaking at a seminar organized by the Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA) at the National Press Club on Saturday. Participants at the event, titled "Not Rain, But Coordinated Mismanagement is Drowning Dhaka," argued that the city’s drainage failures stem from a fragmented governance structure that prioritizes isolated projects over holistic ecological restoration.
Architect Iqbal Habib, an executive member of BAPA, presented the keynote paper, highlighting that the oversight of Dhaka involves a multitude of agencies—including RAJUK, the city corporations, the water supply authority (WASA), and various ministries—often acting without a unified mandate. Habib contended that no single institution can resolve the city’s recurring inundation, advocating instead for participatory urban governance that restores natural water flow. He emphasized that if Dhaka can transition to a nature-friendly management model, it would set a precedent for cities across the country.
The municipal response to the crisis remains under scrutiny, with officials pushing for infrastructure upgrades based on historical climate data. Nur Azizur Rahman, Chief Engineer of the Dhaka South City Corporation, noted that drainage systems must be redesigned to accommodate record-breaking rainfall patterns observed over the last 50 years, utilizing historical land records to map out necessary interventions. Similarly, water researcher Professor M. Firoz Ahmed called for a comprehensive master plan that accounts for climate change, urging the modernization of sewage pumps and a clearer division of labor between WASA and municipal authorities.
Beyond engineering, structural shifts are required to alleviate the pressure on the capital. Former Communist Party of Bangladesh leader Ruhin Hossain argued that the primary solution lies in decentralization, suggesting that the creation of employment and civic amenities outside of Dhaka is essential to mitigating urban strain. This sentiment was echoed by former Urban Development Directorate director Khurshid Jabin Hossain, who attributed the current crisis to poorly planned infrastructure development, asserting that strategic foresight remains the only viable path forward.
The seminar highlighted a recurring theme of administrative accountability, with human rights activist Khushi Kabir noting that government agencies frequently exclude citizens, environmentalists, and experts from the planning process. To address these systemic gaps, BAPA General Secretary Alamgir Kabir proposed seven key recommendations. These include recruiting professionally skilled personnel, integrating the entire city into a single sewage network, and establishing a unified management system that links rivers, canals, and wetlands. The proposal also calls for the strict control of land encroachment and the removal of pump-dependency in favor of restoring natural drainage connectivity, backed by rigorous institutional accountability. BAPA President Professor Nur Mohammad Talukdar concluded the seminar by urging for a collaborative approach involving the public, private sector, and local communities to ensure the survival and sustainability of the city's infrastructure.
