Dhaka’s disappearing water bodies to be mapped
The Urban Development Directorate has launched a comprehensive study to document the vanishing rivers, canals, and water bodies in Dhaka.
The project uses historical maps and contemporary satellite imagery.
An introductory seminar on the research project was held today by the Urban Development Directorate under the Ministry of Housing and Public Works. The project is titled "Identifying and Mapping the Disappearing Water Bodies of Dhaka and Peripheral Region: A Study Using Historical Maps and Satellite Imagery."
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State Minister for Housing and Public Works Ahmmad Sohel Monzur MP attended as chief guest. Md Mahmud Ali, Director (Additional Secretary) of the Urban Development Directorate, and Professor Dr Shakil Akhtar of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology were also present.
Officials from various government departments and agencies, along with journalists from print and electronic media, attended the seminar.
The study will use the historic 1776 map drawn by British cartographer James Rennell as its main reference. Its goal is to compare the historical locations of rivers and water bodies in Dhaka and its surrounding areas with current satellite imagery. Researchers will identify where rivers and canals have disappeared or become obscured over time.
Previous studies mainly relied on Cadastral Survey maps prepared between 1888 and 1940. Some also used Revisional Survey maps from 1966 to 1984. As a result, many rivers and canals that had been lost from Dhaka were not adequately traced.
The new study aims to address this limitation. It will use James Rennell's map as the main historical reference. This will help provide a clearer picture of the lost rivers and canals of Dhaka and its neighbouring areas.
Following the seminar, Md Mahmud Ali, Director (Additional Secretary) of the Urban Development Directorate, presented State Minister Ahmmad Sohel Monzur MP with the first complete map of Dhaka drawn by James Rennell in 1776.
