The Crime Desk: People are living in cities in the country. Among these, the pressure on people living in the capital is increasing the most. But the facilities are not increasing accordingly. Dhaka is losing livability due to increasing human pressure in the capital city. It is gradually losing habitability due to the loss of greenery and wetlands, air pollution, traffic congestion, and a lack of housing. Experts say that for a beautiful and healthy city, it is most important to keep the population limited according to size, protect the vegetation and wetlands, and keep the air and soil pollution under control. In terms of these, the condition of Dhaka is rapidly deteriorating.
At present, 31.51 percent of the total population of the country lives in cities. In 2050, 58.4 percent of the country’s total population will be urban dwellers. In 1974, the proportion of people living in cities was only 9 percent of the total population. The biggest pressure from urbanization is on Dhaka. Dhaka is now the ninth-largest city in the world in terms of population. According to the latest data from the United Nations Population Division, Dhaka will be ranked third by 2030. Only Dhaka is being prioritized in the urbanization plan. Outside Dhaka, there are district and upazila cities and the market-oriented Mofswal city.
Creation of urban living space, financing, urban poverty, population control of the poor population, and employment of people—these are the conditions of urbanization. These aspects are not given attention. The age of Dhaka city is 400 years, and according to some recent observations, it is about 1 thousand years. Being in the middle of the country and surrounded by rivers, Dhaka was a healthy area. But now it’s just a fantasy. Research shows that even in 1989, 17 percent of the area of Dhaka city was surrounded by green plants, but in 2020, that is, in just 30 years, it has reduced to only 2 percent. Basically, since 2009, Dhaka’s green and wetland area has decreased at the fastest rate. The overall environment of the city is rapidly deteriorating due to heavy population pressure and a lack of planning and proper implementation in city management.
Meanwhile, World Day is being celebrated in the country on Monday. This year’s theme of the day is ‘Sustainable cities are the driving force in the growth and recovery of sustainable urban economies’. In 1985, the United Nations decided to observe ‘World Habitat Day’ to raise public awareness about livable and safe habitats. Since 1986, World Habitat Day has been celebrated on the first Monday of October throughout the world.
Like other countries in the world, the Ministry of Housing and Public Works has undertaken various programs on the occasion of the day in Bangladesh. The World Habitat Day program has been organized by the Ministry at the Osmani Smriti Auditorium in the capital on Monday at 10 a.m. Housing and Public Works Minister Sharif Ahmed will be present as the chief guest. Besides, engineer Mosharraf Hossain will be present as a special guest. The Secretary of the Ministry of Housing and Public Works, Kazi Washi Uddin, will preside.
