Hatirjheel was a drainage solution, not just an entertainment hub: Experts

Although the Hatirjheel initiative was presented to the public as an entertainment hub, in reality it was designed as a drainage solution, Mujibur Rahman, former professor at BUET and chief coordinator of the Hatirjheel project, has said.

Speaking at a workshop titled From Policies to Practice: Developing a Climate Action Plan for Municipalities in Dhaka on Wednesday, he said, "The main objective of Hatirjheel has been hijacked. It was a demonstration of how to solve drainage problems."

The event was organised by Waste Concern, BORDA and BMZ, in association with SNV Bangladesh and the Centre for Smart Infrastructure Resilience and Sustainability (CSIRS), UIU.

At a workshop titled From Policies to Practice: Developing a Climate Action Plan for Municipalities in Dhaka on 17 Sep. Photo: TBS

Presenting a paper on climate-resilient urban infrastructure planning, Dr Mujibur Rahman said, "I have repeatedly told government officials, even at the ministerial level, why we are not planning two or three more projects like Hatirjheel. It was a transformation project and a demonstration of how drainage solutions can be integrated with urban planning."

Addressing municipal officials, he said, "In almost every municipality I have visited, canals are disappearing. If these canals can be protected through integrated projects like Hatirjheel, it would bring multifarious benefits, including a major solution to drainage issues."

Highlighting the poor state of waste management in Dhaka, he said, "According to statistics, 22,000 tonnes of waste are generated daily, and in reality the figure is even higher. Most of this waste remains uncollected, eventually clogging canals through drains."

Echoing similar concerns, Dr Ijaz Hossain, former dean of the Faculty of Chemical and Materials Engineering at BUET, said that there is essentially no proper waste management system in the country. 

"Existing landfills are playing very little role. As a result, waste is mixing with soil and generating methane gas," he said.

The sessions of the workshop were moderated by Iftekhar Enayetullah, director of Waste Concern. 

Speakers discussed issues such as carbon and methane emissions, climate change and global warming.

Among the participants were Abu Hasnat Md Maqsood Sinha, executive director of Waste Concern; Dr Fazle Rabbi Sadeque, deputy managing director (DMD), PKSF; Dr Abdullah Al Mamun, deputy director, Waste and Chemical Management, Department of Environment (DoE), MOEFCC; Md Mahmud Hossain, deputy director, Climate Change and International Conventions, DoE; and Md Ziaul Haque, director, Air Quality Management, DoE.