What the remaining Gudaraghats remind us of Dhaka's long-lost water bodies
The numerous Gudaraghats in Dhaka have disappeared over time due to the uncontrolled filling of wetlands and water bodies by both private and government entities
Once upon a time, there were numerous places in Dhaka named as "Gudaraghat".
"Gudara," a Persian term for boat, combined with Bangla "ghat," indicates a landing place out of water, essentially meaning a jetty.
James Rennell's map identifies one such Gudaraghat near Ambar Shah Mosque in Karwan Bazar, also referenced in a 1940 CS document.
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"Another Gudaraghat in Karwan Bazar was near FDC. It was operational till the late 1980s," informed Mohammad Ejaz, project lead at the River and Delta Research Center (RDRC).
He noted the existence of Gudaraghats along the route from Mohammadpur to Shia Masjid, at the current Japan Garden City site, in Adabar, near Haque Shaheb's garage beyond Shyamoli, and spanning from Gabtoli to Tolarbagh, and from Mirpur No 1 to Pallabi. In total, there were a minimum of 20 Gudaraghats in that area.
In 1985, the Fisheries Department reported 2,000 ponds in Dhaka. According to the RDRC, there are now just 300 ponds, lakes and swamps. Half of these are under government ownership, while the remaining half is privately owned.
"Elderly people still talk about the Gudara crossings from Alobdi to Mirpur No. 12, Agunda to Sialbari, Diabari to Bagsatra, Barabazar to Mirpur, Goidartek to Gabtoli, Darussalam to Shyamoli, and Mohammadpur to Basila," said Ejaz.
Referring to the location of his house (West Agargaon), he mentioned that they brought soil by boat to elevate the land.
"The year 1991 can be regarded as a milestone in the change of the geography of Dhaka. Following the construction of the city protection dam, the wetlands within the dam have been indiscriminately filled and developed. Not just private housing construction companies, but also many government entities participated in filling the swamps," he said.
Dhaka had many Teks and Paras
The National River Protection Commission's calculations reveal that there are over 55,000 occupiers of rivers and water bodies nationwide, with Dhaka alone having around 9,000 of them.
As per the Bangladesh Institute of Planners' survey, approximately 42,000 acres of water bodies are filled annually nationwide, with Dhaka experiencing an average loss of 5,757 acres of wetlands each year.
The issue becomes even more clear from the calculation of the number of ponds. In 1985, the Fisheries Department reported 2,000 ponds in Dhaka. According to the RDRC, there are now just 300 ponds, lakes and swamps. Half of these are under government ownership, while the remaining half is privately owned.
Reservoirs owned by both government and private individuals are being filled for the construction of offices, shopping malls or high-rise residential buildings. However, the Natural Water Reservoir Conservation Act explicitly prohibits the filling of reservoirs.
A city is recommended to maintain 14-20 percent of its area as water bodies, whereas our city currently has only 2-3 percent. If this filling trend persists, there will be insufficient space very soon, impacting the overall environment.
"Look at the names of places in Dhaka - Kathal Bagan, Baridhara, Dhanmondi, Jhilpar, Ghatpar, Amtala, Satarkul, Shyamoli, Kalabagan, Shahbagh, Motijheel, Hatirjheel, Kadmatoli, Khilkhet, Gandaria, Pallabi, Khilgaon. This way, many places incorporated Bengali equivalents of gardens, fallow land, lakes, bils, canals, and more into their names," said Ejaz.
During the Mughal period, Dhaka extended to Gulistan, but during the British period, it did not go beyond Shahbagh. The surrounding areas were characterised by swamps, retaining water even in dry seasons. This indicates that the essential navigability for boat travel remained consistent throughout the year.
"At that time, places like Dhanmondi, Mirpur, Gulshan, Baridhara had Teks and Paras. Isolated high hillocks were present, upon which individual villages were constructed. Some locations had roads, while others required travel by boat. Numerous places were named Gudaraghat or Jhilpar," Ejaz added.
How water bodies got indiscriminately filled
There is a place called Gudaraghat that still exists in Mirpur 1. If you ask rickshaw pullers, they can guide you there.
"However, in the past, boats were the primary mode of transportation up to Diabari's Bot Tola," said Ejaz.
He further described that Uttara has been entirely developed on wetlands, including areas like Eastern Housing, Niketan, Bashundhara Residential Area, Dhaka Udyan, Swadesh Properties, Asian City, American City, and others. Private housing projects have been established by filling in these wetlands.
Turning to East Dhaka, locations such as Gulshan, Kuril, Kazibari, Baridhara, Satarkul, and Badda were predominantly water areas. Kuril, Kazibari, and Aftabnagar once had significant Gudaraghats. In 2001-2002, they were still active.
For instance, in Baridhara J Block, there used to be a large Gudaraghat opposite the American Embassy. Gudaraghat was also present in Natun Bazar. Even today, a place near where the water buses stop on the way from Gulshan 1 to 2 is referred to as Gudaraghat by the locals.
Moving further east, from Demra to Trimohini, there were 10 to 12 Gudaraghats. This highlights that waterways were the primary means of transportation across a significant part of Dhaka.
"The pressure on Dhaka increased during the Pakistan period. As a result of partition, thousands of people migrated to Dhaka from Murshidabad, Bihar or Tripura in India. Then the government selected land for residential areas in Mohammadpur, Mirpur for them," Ejaz remarked.
However, even that failed to significantly alter Dhaka's topography. The real transformation began in the 1980s, when the government prioritised the construction of roads and highways. Subsequently, the city was shielded by a dam.
However, there were no clear policies or guidelines regarding which areas inside the dam could be filled and which couldn't. During this period, numerous government residential areas and offices were constructed by filling the reservoir, displacing those who resided in Teks or Paras.
External affluent individuals continued purchasing land, while local influentials acquired vast water acres to develop residential areas, leading to a continuous filling of reservoirs.
The 1990s witnessed a proliferation of reservoir filling, with a recent survey by the Bangladesh Institute of Planners revealing that the majority of reservoirs in Dhaka were filled between 1995 and 2000.
While absorbing some agricultural land into the city in the pursuit of urban development may be acceptable, there has been no concerted effort by Rajuk or the district administration to curb the indiscriminate filling for privately owned housing.
Despite the formulation of policies, there has been little success in halting the filling process. Environmentalists even formed a human chain to protest the filling of the Gandaria pond earlier this year. But the question lingers: who will take responsibility for such indiscriminate land filling?
Where did the people go?
In our country, the Natural Water Reservoir Conservation Act was passed in 2000. It has been mentioned here that under no circumstances can the natural course and nature of canals, bils, rivers and canals, ponds and reservoirs be changed.
Even in the construction of roads-highways or bridges-culverts, natural water bodies, reservoirs, canals-rivers etc cannot be destroyed. If anyone wants to fill a water body in the public interest, they have to take permission from the government.
However, Ejaz pointed out, "like many other laws, it is also not enforced. What's the point of a law without enforcement? In our study, we discovered a significant amount of waterbody filling validated due to incorrect boundary pillars in the Turag River. Ashulia once hosted fishing villages, with some still remaining. Yet, if there's no water, how can the fishermen survive?
"We identified 93 Gudaraghats along a 22 km stretch of the Buriganga and 150 to 200 along the Turag River. But without water or the wastage in the water, where will the people turn? The cultural heritage established over millennia is facing imminent destruction."
Where does it end?
The disruption of water bodies has adversely affected the natural course of people's lives.
"The city was constructed to accommodate people, but if it becomes deprived of water, how can residents sustain themselves? The water level in the city has already significantly decreased, leading to many deep tubewells becoming idle.
"Water is currently being brought from the Meghna River. If you do a Google search, you will see that several American cities have been abandoned simply because of the lack of water," Ejaz said.
Then he also brought up the topic of climate change. In the last 20 years, the temperature of Dhaka has increased by almost 3 degrees.
"Thinking about the year 2050 makes you shudder. Children will die due to diseases caused by temperature rise, old people will not survive either. The city sees an annual influx of seven lakh people, primarily climate refugees fleeing from one disaster to another. However, Dhaka could have flourished as a great city with water and nature if constructed according to the original plan."
Ejaz is also of the opinion that bringing back the lost reservoir would be a very difficult task.
"Nonetheless, in the new towns and suburbs like Keraniganj, Savar, Ashulia, Gazipur or Narayanganj, reservoirs should be preserved and maintained in accordance with the rules. It is a necessity for survival, not a luxury," he concluded.
