Longstanding negligence in maintaining Dhaka’s drainage network has left the capital vulnerable to severe waterlogging, Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Administrator Mohammad Azaz said on Monday.

Addressing a seminar hosted by the South Asian Institute of Policy and Governance, Azaz said the waterlogging seen on major roads after Monday morning’s rainfall was the result of decades of indifference towards the city’s drainage and natural canals.

“Industries have been prioritised while the environment was neglected, and this is why Dhaka is in such a dire state. Even a little rainfall creates waterlogging,” he lamented.

Azaz pointed to the DNCC’s recent achievements, stating that 112 kilometres of canals had been reclaimed within just three months. “Earlier, hundreds of crores of taka were allocated for such work. We haven’t taken an extra penny.”

He mentioned that canals in Abdullahpur and Sonati areas have already been reclaimed, noting, “If canals are recovered, river recovery will also be easier.”

Focusing on his six and a half months in office, Azaz said, “I’ve learned every inch of Dhaka’s rivers. With only political goodwill, resolving the city’s waterlogging and reclaiming rivers is very much possible.”

The seminar also highlighted the alarming pollution in Dhaka’s rivers. Delivering the keynote presentation, North South University Associate Professor Abdus Samad revealed the presence of harmful heavy metals – including arsenic and cadmium – in the Buriganga, Dhaleshwari, Shitalakhya, Turag and Balu rivers.

According to the findings, the Buriganga and Shitalakhya are particularly afflicted by heavy metal contamination, posing serious risks to public health and the livability of Dhaka.