Prime minister’s stern message to save Dhaka’s lakes: coordinated steps needed to curb pollution
Photo: Collected
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has given a strict directive to make the capital’s lakes pollution-free at an important meeting in the conference room of the Cabinet Division at the Secretariat this afternoon. He urged the agencies concerned to work in a coordinated manner to bring life back to Gulshan, Banani, Baridhara, Niketan and Dhanmondi lakes and to improve the environment. The prime minister’s Deputy Press Secretary Sujauddowla Sujan Mahmud confirmed this information to the media.
While presiding over the meeting, the prime minister made it clear that sewage must not be dumped into the lakes under any circumstances. Alongside this, he directed regular waste cleaning, installation of sewage treatment plants (STPs) and bringing more speed to the work of the agencies. At this time the prime minister evaluated the progress of the renovation of Dhanmondi Lake, removal of sludge and the pilot project under Dhaka South City Corporation. Besides, the sources of pollution of Gulshan, Banani, Baridhara and Niketan lakes and future development plans were discussed in detail at the meeting.
It has been learnt that 6 primary and 6 secondary points have been identified as channels through which polluted water and waste enter Gulshan Lake. The technical committee formed to solve the problem presented some short-, medium- and long-term proposals at the meeting. In view of this, directives were given to completely stop waste entering the lake, install building-based STPs and conduct a detailed survey of the existing sewerage lines. Along with that, the collection of sewerage bills in the Gulshan-Banani area subject to conditions and the creation of a specific ‘catchment area’ for water drainage were also mentioned.
To further speed up the cleanliness drive, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has directed that the number of mechanised boats used to remove floating waste from the lakes be raised from 2 to 10. He also stressed removing sludge from the bottom with floating excavators and launching regular cleaning activities. The matter of installing STPs within the stipulated time in the applicable buildings in line with the ‘Dhaka Mahanagar Building Rules, 2025’ also received the highest importance at the meeting.
Besides, it has been recommended that Dhaka Wasa and Dhaka North City Corporation work jointly to find out whether the sewerage lines of homes or commercial buildings are illegally connected to the lakes or storm-water drains and to disconnect them. Proposals were also made at the meeting to install aerators (oxygen-boosting devices) to keep the oxygen level in the lake water right, to use chemical and biological methods in combination to remove the foul smell and to build a long-term sanitation network.
The meeting was informed that 5 special teams comprising 42 personnel have already taken to the field to ensure the maintenance and overall cleanliness of the lakes under Rajuk.
Present at this important meeting were Housing and Public Works Minister Zakaria Taher, State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam, Dhaka South City Administrator Md Abdus Salam, Dhaka North City Administrator Md Shafiqul Islam Khan and Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister ABM Abdus Sattar, along with senior officials concerned.
