Will the riverfront become visible from the Buriganga again?
The Buriganga riverfront was once a magnificent sight but it has fallen on hard times due to sheer negligence. Now the DSCC is looking to transform it into an open space and a recreational place
Imagine you are walking on a promenade by the River Buriganga while enjoying the sunset. It has become a habitual affair as you adore the view of Ruplal House's magnificent façade.
Its white-washed walls are reflecting the crimson sun rays over your face, while other people stroll on the promenade taking in the cool breeze from the river.
Now and then, hawkers offer you a cup of tea. And before returning home, you will visit the library at the Johnson Hall or enjoy an evening show at the Northbrook Hall – the two structures (established in 1879) popularly known as Lalkuthi.
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What you may be imagining right now were all very real features of the Buriganga riverfront a century ago. The riverfront worked for trade and business as it does today, as well as a recreational space. People used to enjoy boat racing, festivals or just to take a stroll along the Buriganga, particularly on its north bank.
Wealthy people built palaces and mansions facing the river. Ahsan Manzil (established in 1872) and Ruplal House (established in 1825) still carry the memory. The riverfront itself grew to be the most pleasing and beautiful part of the town, as described by history professor Sharif Uddin Ahmed in his history book titled 'Dacca: A Study in Urban History and Development.'
The present condition of the Buriganga riverfront is a clear contrast to the past. Unplanned establishments and negligence to heritage conservation have either buried or overshadowed most of the ancient structures along the riverfront.
Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh has announced a redevelopment plan for the riverfront heritages, particularly the renovation of the Lalkuthi and restoration of the Ruplal House. The initiative was the Mayor's election promise.
Recently, DSCC sent a letter to Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) to relocate launch jetties from the front side of Lalkuthi and Ahsan Manzil along the Buckland Bund. BIWTA has been regulating the launch jetties since 1960.
So why is the redevelopment of the Buriganga riverfront important for Dhaka, which was raised on the banks of rivers?
University of California professor and architectural historian Spiro Konstantine Kostof wrote in his book 'The City Assembled' that many cities are built along rivers or on the edge of lakes and seas. "The particularity of the site, and the way the settlement meets the water, give character to the city form as well as enhancing the image of the city. Aligning growth with the river is a common response," he wrote.
Rivers around the world shaped beautiful cities with magnificent views along the riverfronts. We know that London has the Thames, New York has the Hudson, Paris has the Seine and the River Danube in Europe has three cities on its bank.
Dhaka, perhaps, is the most unfortunate city for not having a riverfront that its dwellers can take pride in and also enjoy.
A history of encroachment and ineffective measures
The use of the Buriganga riverfront grew massively since the construction of Buckland Bund in 1864. Private steamers, however, started inland operations from here a couple of years ago. The bund – named after the then Dacca Commissioner Charles Thomas Buckland – was constructed on the northern bank of the Buriganga along the southern front of Dhaka to protect the city from flooding and river erosion, and to facilitate the movement of passengers and cargo at the river port.
It also included a facelift to the riverside, eminent historian Professor Abdul Karim wrote in his 1991 history book titled 'Origin and Development of Mughal Dhaka.'
The importance of a recreational place along the Buriganga riverfront was felt by the colonial British rulers. Sir Patrick Geddes was hired to formulate a concept of town planning in 1917.
Geddes was highly interested in the science of ecology. He marked encroachment along the Buckland Bund and advised to prevent this. He termed the riverfront as the "very best of all open places in Dacca (now Dhaka)."
Although the Dacca Improvement Trust (DIT) Master Plan 1958, the Dhaka Metropolitan Development Plan (DMDP) 1995 and the Detailed Area Plan (DAP) 2010, recommended keeping the particular riverfront as an open place, none of the plans followed implementation properly. The result was, as we can see now, a messy Buriganga riverfront.
A 2008 physical feature survey by Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK), found only 0.66 percent of the 2375.57 acre-long Buriganga riverfront area as open space. Among the 53,994 buildings surveyed in the area, 35,935 were merely 25 years old. The RAJUK's survey proves how the riverfront got encroached due to urbanisation in the near past.
A recent visit to the area revealed that a crowd of concrete structures and BIWTA terminals have covered the Ruplal House, Ahsan Manzil and the Lalkuthi, so much so, that river cruisers cannot spot the buildings.
A 21st century initiative on the horizon
The DSCC wants to retransform the place into an open space and a recreational place. The Mayor has received a verbal promise from the BIWTA chairman that the launch terminal set in front of the Lalkuthi would be relocated to the Pagla area.
This correspondent tried to reach BIWTA chairman Commodore Golam Sadeq for his comment. He did not respond despite several phone calls and text messages.
According to DSCC officials, illegal establishments surrounding the Lalkuthi and the Ruplal House will be removed so that river cruisers can view the two buildings from a 45-degree angle from both sides.
An interesting thing to note is that the evacuation of the illegal structures will merge the land boundaries of the two properties. It will be a 250 metre-wide heritage view.
Moreover, a wide walkway will be built in front of the buildings and the river bank will be walled with hard rocks. Like a black-and-white photo of the Ruplal House, a ghatla (quay) will be built at the riverfront of the heritage building.
Five consulting firms: two Korean and three local firms are drawing the 'conceptual design' of the redevelopment project. The World Bank is going to finance the project.
"After approval of the concept, a digital survey will be done. We will estimate the budget after the final blueprint is drawn. The budget will include costs of the relocation and resettlement of some structures including a mosque which was built on the foreshore of Buriganga," said a DSCC official who requested anonymity.
Currently, DSCC owns the Lalkuthi. But the project implementing authority will need to acquire the Ruplal House as well. The ownership of the house is disputed.
"The Mayor has already instructed the Estate Department to initiate the property transfer process," the aforementioned official said.
He admitted that warehouses of fruits, betel leaf and spices, surrounding the two heritage buildings need to be relocated. But the DSCC chose to run slowly.
"In phases, all the illegal structures would be resettled. These works have not been done in the last 50 years. But the present DSCC administration wants to start it.
This will be the beginning. If DSCC can succeed, the other heritage sites would be renovated too," s/he said.
Architect Taimur Islam, chief executive officer at Urban Studies Group and organiser of Save Old Dhaka Campaign, believes that the redevelopment of the Buriganga riverfront needs a comprehensive approach to ensure the sustainable conservation of heritage sites and city development.
"There are some other heritage buildings along the Buriganga riverfront. The establishments also need to be included in the conservation plan," Islam said.
Conservation of the Buriganga riverfront means the restoration of our heritage that stretched between the Bangladesh-China Friendship Bridge and the Shaheed Buddhijibi Bridge, an 11 km long northern riverbank.
"In phases, the government can restore the heritage sites. But a comprehensive plan is a must. Otherwise, all that effort will go in vain," Islam concluded.
