Ctg draft master plan seeks to protect ponds, canals, hills

Infographic/TBS

The Chattogram Development Authority (CDA) yesterday (1 August) unveiled its draft Metropolitan Master Plan 2025-2050, which identifies nearly 40,000 ponds and other waterbodies for protection across its planning area.

To reduce pressure on central Chattogram, the plan proposes the "One City, Two Towns" concept, new bus and truck terminals, canal restoration and a modern drainage system.

Separate Detailed Action Plans (DAP) have been proposed for Anwara, Bakalia and Agrabad, while the metropolitan area would be divided into six administrative zones to decentralise development.

The draft also proposes two or three large parks modelled on national parks, along with reserved land for a graveyard modelled on a national cemetery and a central Eidgah.

"Unplanned development has severely damaged Chattogram's hills, canals, rivers and natural environment. Our goal is to build a green, liveable and sustainable city," CDA Chairman Belayet Hossain said while presenting the plan at a press conference at the authority's auditorium in Chattogram.

Citizens will be able to submit opinions, objections and proposed amendments directly or online for 60 days, from 2 August to 30 September. The CDA will review the submissions before finalising the plan.

The proposed protection list includes around 4,600 ponds in the city. The authority has also prepared a digital database of the waterbodies for the first time.

"The master plan cannot remain only on paper. A planned and liveable Chattogram will be possible only through public awareness, coordination among institutions and enforcement of the law," Hossain said.

He said Chattogram's first master plan was prepared in 1961, followed by plans in 1995 and 2008.

"Public opinion will be given the highest priority in making the 2025-2050 fourth master plan practical," he added.

The fully government-funded project, estimated to cost Tk35.87 crore, began in February 2022. It covers 1,255 sq km, including the entire Chattogram City Corporation area, nearby municipalities and upazilas, and areas likely to undergo future urbanisation.

The plan includes phased project priorities, coordination among agencies, digital records of hills and waterbodies, a soil liquefaction risk map and 77 policies across 15 sectors.

Protecting hills and managing risks

The plan gives priority to conserving open spaces, agricultural land, hills and waterbodies.

It proposes protecting around 18 sq km of untouched hill areas in the city and 184 sq km across the full planning area.

The draft also includes guidelines on the types of structures permitted in hill areas, their height and the forms of development that may be approved.

The plan contains Chattogram's first soil liquefaction risk map. Soil liquefaction occurs when water-saturated soil loses strength during an earthquake.

According to the CDA, excluding hill areas, more than 30% of the planning area faces such risks. The draft therefore proposes lower-density development instead of high-rise buildings in vulnerable areas.

Its 77 policies cover transport, land use, housing, the environment, water resources, disaster management, economic development and social infrastructure, among other sectors.

Six administrative zones proposed

The draft plan seeks to control the concentration of hospitals and educational institutions in congested areas, including GEC, Muradpur, the Medical College area and Katalganj.

The CDA also proposed action against hospitals operating in buildings approved for residential use and institutions without their own parking facilities.

To reduce dependence on government funding, the plan proposes a tripartite development model involving the government, landowners and developers.

It also includes transfer of development rights, land pooling, guided land development and land readjustment.

Committees to oversee implementation

CDA Deputy Chief Planner and new masterplan Project Director Abu Isa Ansari said the plan's main change was its coordinated development system.

"Different agencies previously implemented projects under their own plans. The draft proposes separate coordination committees for the city and areas outside it," he said.

The committees would monitor whether projects comply with the master plan, follow the proposed priorities and are completed on time.

Ansari said the plan divides projects into three implementation periods: 2026-2035, 2026-2040 and 2041-2050.

It also identifies the agencies responsible for the projects and their possible funding sources, he added.