Taking back Dhaka, Dhanmondi Lake has been in a complete state of disrepair

Taking back Dhaka, Dhanmondi Lake has been in a complete state of disrepair

One of the fundamental complaints lodged against the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), under the previous mayor, has been its overt focus on “beautification” projects. Such measures, more often than not, involved cutting down trees and other facets of our capital’s natural makeup, while completely ignoring some of the most pressing issues being faced by citizens.

While the two city corporations are currently being headed by acting administrators in lieu of elected mayors, it is clear that there is a lot of work to be done in actively listening to the wants and needs of Dhaka citizens and to preserve the natural beauty of our capital city.

Case in point, ever since August 5, Dhanmondi Lake, which falls under the purview of DSCC, has been in a complete state of disrepair as it is completely overrun by water hyacinths, waste, and various debris due to a lack of any maintenance work on the part of the municipal administration, according to a recent Dhaka Tribune story. Furthermore, due to the neglect, railings and grills around the lake are also allegedly being stolen while open abuse of narcotics has become rampant in various spots around the lake.

Dhanmondi Lake is one of the busiest areas in the city, with footfall rising tremendously later in the day. Given the amount of footfall the surrounding park sees virtually every day, the lake’s current state of disrepair risks giving way to a veritable public health disaster, especially given the prevalence of mosquitoes as a result of the floating garbage and water hyacinths. Bangladesh has been seeing dengue mutate from a seasonal affliction to a practically a year-long pandemic, and leaving entire areas without clean-up drives such as this no doubt contribute greatly.