How a Canal dies? Story of BEGUNBARI Canal in Dhaka City Abrar Khan

Earth Day 2006

How a Canal dies?
Story of BEGUNBARI Canal in Dhaka City

Abrar Khan

Published on April 21, 2006

As a student of architecture under Urban Designs course we went to Begunbari canal in Dhaka city, Bangladesh, to do an assignment titled ‘How Begun Bari Canal can be restored and how to make it a worth mentioning part of the city?’ This work gave me surprising experiences.

The total area of BBC (BegunBari Canal) is 237.7645 acres. Some of its portions are situated at ward no 37 and the rest is at ward no 22 (near Rampura). This canal is surrounded by Gulshan, Rampura, Madhubag, Mirbag, Tejgaon Industrial Area, Ulan, and Badda and by many other important places of Dhaka city. Once upon a time in Dhaka, there were about 20 wetlands. The dead but famous Dholai canal was one of them and another is BBC. Once BBC was connected with Dhanmondi Lake and Dhanmondi Lake was with Turag River through Katashur canal. The other side of BBC was connected with Balu River and still they are connected, though Balu River is going to be demolished. Balu River is now being filled up day by day and the plots of Bashundhara, one of the largest real estate company of the country, are rising over there. How can it be possible to grab a river by a business company? But such abhorring things are happening.

Then what is the role of the Government? Bashundhara is not a recent company. For many years, these occupation and exploitation are going on. So it can be said that every government is pretending to be innocent in this matter.

Now let us look at BBC. In many places it has already been occupied. For example, one of Eastern Housing’s, another big real estate company, project is Mahanager housing and it had been established through 8 to 10 years (known from local people). Most of its area is situated over BBC. During our survey in 2005, we found out that the land of the housing project has extended more than the information given by the Land Survey Department, 2004.

And it is surprising that even the Gulshan Arong, an enterprise of BRAC the largest NGO, and the plot of BRAC University are also situated over this canal. Another worth mentioning illegal establishment is Kunipara, situated on the edge of BBC. It is a part of TIA (Tejgaon Industrial Area). All the dwellers of this place are industrial and garment workers. The entire dwelling place is hanging over the canal, where majority of the workers are living. The rent of each room of these houses is about TK/-500 to TK/-1500 and the area of each room is hardly 100 square feet. There is no kitchen and sanitary latrine. All the time an unhealthy and malodors atmosphere ruling in this place. It is very sad to say that these suffered people are playing a great role in our economy. During the flood the entire para becomes inundated. Day by day BBC is getting polluted by garments, industrial and human waste materials.

Does our government care or think even once, why there is environmental disasters, why there is no timely rainfall, why the rivers are being fishless, why the northern part of the country are becoming desert, why monkeys are not seen in the jungle in Madhupur? Actually ADB (Asian Development Bank) helped to destroy the Madhupur forest. ADB planted those trees which were not relevant to that forest and the environment, and it destroyed our environmental balance. These are, in fact, bear no importance to the government.

In monsoon, even for a little rain Dhaka city suffers great water congestion. In fact the present filled up body of the most of the wetlands is one of the main causes for water congestion. Our total hydroecology is at stake due to illegal occupation. And we all know that rainwater is the main source of under earth water reservoir, but day by day we become waterless because of illegal and unplanned earth filing.

Under the present situation though unuttered but most appropriate slogan is “Esho khal bhori”. All these are going in the name of so-called development. These cannot be a development these are the way to make Dhaka a dead city.

Cities also need breathing and fooding. There should be 25% forest in a country. But Bangladesh consists only 6%. Thus it seems our land will no longer chock with the enhancing destruction.

Now let me tell about the ghost story of the TIA. Most of the industries are closed there; gathering of drug-addicted people can be seen here and there. Many lands are left here vacant which cost more than crore, whereas there exists artificial land crisis. Really a chaotic situation! Local people have said that the control of those lands changes with the changes of ruling power.

Informed by one of the engineers of PWD, that some industries are closed, some are under legal proceedings and the rest are suffering illicit garment business (the accurate number is concealed for security).

Tejgaon Industrial Area was designed in Pakistan Period. But for some unknown reason no residence was designed for laborers. It might be possible that ample space was vacant that time. And today we are watching its terrible consequence, i.e.,”Kunipara”, an illicit establishment over BegunBari Canal, though are indispensable, indelible. In subsequent period, those helpless laborers and the TIA are almost ignored by Governments.

In 2005, to save this canal our landscape Professor Tania Karim and her organization UW2SD arranged a seminar. Not only we, the students, but also our teachers and some architects had attended that seminar. Many well-known persons of RAJUK, Dhaka City Corporation and of many other governmental organizations were present there. Among them there were also some renowned environmentalists. Dr. Ainoon Nishat of IUCN (International Union of Conservation of Nature) is worth mentioning. Architect Sirajul Islam of DDC demonstrated the present situation and the future plan about BBC by a slide show. Though this was signed by the Prime minister on 5 April 2003, but yet to implement.

However, in November 2005 occupancy started again in BBC in the name of beautification of Dhaka for SAARC Summit with the help of DCC. When savior is the destroyer then what will people do? But in that seminar many of our teachers proposed some solutions of this grave problem very dexterously. Whether those will be approved or not, no body knows.

To recapitulate, despite this alarming situation and giving such cogent and useful solutions, government does not even bother to give a little effort for BBC. The restoration of this canal is very essential and inevitable for the citizen of Dhaka as well as the whole country. So, this is the high time to unite those people, who are yearning to save their souls by saving BegunBari Canal, and also to force the disinterested government for taking proper steps to make BegunBari Canal a dependable friend for our environment.

How terribly people are passing their days, who are actually running the garments and industries in Dhaka. And the Canal’s story is beyond description, its death is very near.