Waterlogging near the airport: filling the reservoir with railways aggravates the situation

Tue, 22 Oct 2024 02:13 Last updated: Tue, 22 Oct 2024 02:07

The reservoir adjacent to the airport railway station was filled six months ago as part of the Dhaka-Tongi-Joydebpur railway expansion project undertaken by Bangladesh Railway. The photo was taken yesterday. PHOTO: PRABIR DAS

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The reservoir adjacent to the airport railway station was filled six months ago as part of the Dhaka-Tongi-Joydebpur railway expansion project undertaken by Bangladesh Railway. The photo was taken yesterday. PHOTO: PRABIR DAS

Residents of many parts of the country face flooding, and residents of the capital’s airport are no exception.

More than six months ago, Bangladesh railway authorities filled a pond near the airport railway station as part of the Dhaka-Tongi-Joydebpur railway expansion project. Due to this, areas in Uttara, Ashkon, Dakshin Khan and even the airport premises face severe flooding during monsoons, causing immense suffering to the people in these areas.

As part of the project, two additional lines and platforms for passengers will be built on the territory.

The reservoir has played a vital role in retaining rainwater and mitigating floods during the monsoon.

Environmentalists have expressed concern and warned that filling the city’s reservoirs could have a serious impact on biodiversity and make flood control more difficult.

Sharmeen Begum from the airport area said: “The actions of the railway authorities have led to flooding of our houses and streets. Do they even care about the suffering they cause?”

Al Mamun, a resident of Uttara Sector-2, said, “The recent rains have caused flooding in my house like never before. The flooding has now become constant whenever it rains.”

In response to the situation, the Dhaka North City Corporation wrote to the Railway Ministry on June 13 this year, highlighting that even the drizzle had caused waterlogging due to the filling of the reservoir.

Recently, in an interview with The Daily Star, DNCC CEO Mir Khairul Alam said, “After the railway authorities filled the reservoir, we wrote to them asking them to return the reservoir to its original condition.

“We have also asked the railways to make a box culvert of at least three meters wide so that the water can flow properly and meet future demands.”

During a recent visit, this correspondent discovered that officials from the railway project had fenced off the area and were using excavators to level the ground, which was completely covered with dirt.

Several trees were also cut down.

Speaking to project director Nazneen Ara Keya, she said it was unacceptable to blame the railway authorities alone for the flooding.

“To reduce waterlogging, the DNCC drainage pipe is proposed to be connected to a nearby canal through a culvert. However, the construction of the drainage pipe has not yet been completed.”

According to her, work on both the projects – construction of the city corporation drainage system and construction of a culvert on the railway – is yet to be completed.

“There was a small ditch here which was filled up by the railway authorities for the project work. Once completed, it will benefit the population. No buildings or railway offices are being constructed here.”

Speaking to this correspondent recently, she also said that a meeting was held where the city corporation asked them to make the culvert wider, increasing its width to three meters. The railway authorities agreed to this request.

“The contractors working on the project are currently in India and once they return, a new project will be developed. Making the box culvert wider will help prevent waterlogging.”

In a July interview with this newspaper, newly appointed environment advisor Syeda Rizwana Hasan highlighted the crucial role of reservoirs in retaining water during the monsoon.

She called on the railway authorities to restore the reservoir.

Even if the water body belonged to the railroads, they should not have filled it without proper permission, she said.

“In metropolitan cities, the environment department and national housing authorities monitor such activities in accordance with the Environmental Protection Acts. However, since this area is filled in accordance with the Detailed Site Plan, the City should not approve such action.

“The railway authorities are engaged in illegal activities and are sending a very bad message to the public.”