Dhaka Could Be Underwater in a Decade

Dhaka is home to about 140 million people and is the centre of Bangladesh's growth, but it has practically zero capacity to cope with moderate to heavy rains. Credit: Fahad Kaiser/IPSBy Rafiqul IslamDHAKA, Aug 16 2016 (IPS)Like many other fast-growing megacities, the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka faces severe water and sanitation problems, chiefly the annual flooding during monsoon season due to unplanned urbanisation, destruction of wetlands and poor city governance.But experts are warning that if the authorities here don’t take serious measures to address these issues soon, within a decade, every major thoroughfare in the city will be inundated and a majority of neighborhoods will end up underwater after heavy precipitation.A 42-mm rainfall in ninety minutes is not unusual for monsoon season, but the city will face far worse in the future due to expected global temperature increases. “If the present trend of city governance continues, all city streets will be flooded during monsoon in a decade, intensifying the suffering of city dwellers, and people will be compelled to leave the city,” urban planner Dr. Maksudur Rahman told IPS.He predicted that about 50-60 percent of the city will be inundated in ten years if it experiences even a moderate rainfall.Climate change means even heavier rainsDhaka is home to about 140 million people and is the centre of the country’s growth, but it has practically zero capacity to cope with moderate to heavy rains. On Sep. 1, 2015, ...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - Category: Global & Universal Authors: Tags: Aid Asia-Pacific Climate Change Development & Aid Environment Headlines Health Humanitarian Emergencies Migration & Refugees Natural Resources Population Poverty & SDGs Water & Sanitation Bangladesh Dhaka flooding humanitar Source Type: news