Unutilised lands under flyovers, BRT in Dhaka cause Tk21,000cr annual loss: Study

Highlights 

• Mohakhali flyover, the first one in Dhaka, was launched in 2004
• Total number of flyovers is 10
• Total length of flyovers is 105.22 km

Social, economic, environmental and public health losses worth $2 billion or Tk21,000 crore occur every year as the lands under flyovers, elevated expressways, Metrorail, Bus Rapid Transit, U-loop, etc in the capital are not properly utilised, said a study.

There are about 207 acres of such land which are either illegally occupied or remain unused, according to the study conducted by the Centre for Inclusive Architecture and Urbanism (CIAU) of Brac University and funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

It is a waste of valuable urban resources in a densely populated city like Dhaka, according to the research report presented at Brac University on Sunday.

In the socio-economic context of Dhaka, it is possible to turn this valuable urban land under the flyover into a resource through public welfare-oriented and public health-friendly planning. The lands can be used for various purposes, for example, these can be turned into a "green" infrastructure, which will increase the liveability of the city as well as accelerate pedestrian-friendly urbanisation, said CIAU.

The flyovers are speeding up the internal communication system of the city, but there is also an opportunity to use the areas below these flyovers for public welfare, said CIAU Executive Director Architect Prof Adnan Zillur Morshed while presenting the main article.

He further said that parking, public toilets, police boxes, mosques, temporary raw markets, garbage dumps and small shops have been built in several places under Mayor Mohammad Hanif flyover and Moghbazar-Mouchak flyover. Sometimes drug use and drug dealing take place in dark places, which is posing a safety threat to pedestrians.

As there is no overall policy on this, proper use of most of the lands has not been ensured, he added.

He said that in developed countries, people-friendly, sustainable and cost-effective community zones are created under flyovers and elevated structures where there are walking paths and bicycle lanes, urban agriculture, gardens, forestry and sports facilities. In some places, basic health care and exercise centres, swimming pools, rainwater harvesting and street plays and art exhibitions have been developed. In many places, small entrepreneurs or low-income people are getting involved too.

It was informed that the research project conducted ethnographic surveys among the locals, traders, temporary shopkeepers, pedestrians and law enforcement personnel of different flyover-adjacent areas of Dhaka.

In this study of the effective conversion of unused land under the flyover, Architects Shafayet Mahmud, Wasila Fatima Nilia and Md Fahim Hasan Rizvi worked under the supervision of Adnan Zillur Morshed.