Faka Dhaka: A beautiful idea, but more to it than congestion
Few horns, little to no snarl-ups, no lines on footpaths and a journey from Dhanmondi to Uttara taking less than 20 minutes: these are some of the most glaring things in post-Eid Dhaka.
The easier commute is an area of focus. After all, why shouldn't it be? For those of us so used to trudging along in congestion, the empty roads are a relief, even though it isn't meant to be long-lasting.
Faka (empty) Dhaka is a cherished dream of many.
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According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), the two corporations in Dhaka have around 1.02 crore people.
Although how many left the city during the Eid holidays is disputed, one metric is the number of sim cards which have left the city. According to a Facebook post by Telecom Minister Mustafa Jabbar, the number stood at a total of 85.52 lakh mobile phones in four days until 21 April.
On the other hand, 23.91 lakh SIMs entered Dhaka in the four days -- from 18 - 21 April.
One person can have many sim cards, while children have none. Thus, this number is not an accurate reflection.
But what you see on the roads – a vast emptiness – leaves little room for debate.
Waxing lyrical about the lack of people, however, is missing a vital point. The people who have left, more often than not, are the ones who give Dhaka city its unique character.
Dhaka city is overbearing, and persistent in its insistence to be a fast-paced urban area where people are perpetually stuck: on the road or in government queues.
It is, however, when we are stuck – thoroughly immobile – when we often have a moment to spare to glance around and take in the city around us.
The chanachur walas, the rickshaw-pullers, the street hawkers, the banking officials, and the traffic sergeant, along with the cacophony of noises, make the city what it is.
For many of the privileged, despite their hankering about overpopulation, they ultimately rely on their support systems heavily. The maid, the butcher, the laundry guy, the tailor, the Uber driver etc.
This is also not a case of romanticising our network of support. There's a bigger point to this, most likely an elitist one.
A common joke is to build a wall around Dhaka during the Eid holidays. It's a polite way to say, "Go back where you come from". But who is this wall meant for?
If the current ecosystem is disturbed, all of our lives will be disrupted.
All of the people mentioned contribute to Dhaka's gross domestic product, which in turn makes up the bulk of Bangladesh's GDP.
To underscore the importance of Dhaka's contribution, one only has to look at a 2021 report which said that the haphazard expansion of the city caused frequent traffic jams that ate up as much as 2.9% of the gross domestic production (GDP).
According to the researchers, another 6%-10% of the country's GDP is lost indirectly to the city's traffic congestion.
Some experts put Dhaka's GDP contribution to around 40% with some saying the megacity alone accounts for one-fifth of the GDP.
This GDP is a summation of everything produced – a service or a good – by all the characters that populate the city.
The more your city earns, the better its services and even infrastructure.
If Dhaka remained faka for a prolonged period, this city would come to its knees, even taking into account the raging inequality.
Dhaka is considered one of the most unlivable cities in the world. Yet, we all continue to not only live, but thrive in it too.
The aim should thus be towards making this city better for all its inhabitants. The conversations can also shift away from the capitalist favourite of overpopulation and turn towards overconsumption. Too few people are hoarding too much of the resources.
The World Inequality Report 2022, by the World Inequality Lab of Paris, said just 1% of Bangladesh's population held 16.3% of the total national income in 2021 and the bottom half 17.1%.
Meanwhile, the latest BBS survey found that while the poverty reduction rate slowed down, inequality increased.
Though average monthly household income more than doubled in six years to Tk32,422, the latest data showed that income inequality widened further as the Gini co-efficient index – the measure of inequality – rose to 0.499 last year from 0.482 six years back.
As we zoom through our empty roads – the last weekend to enjoy it – we can also take time to contemplate what this vast emptiness means. Dhaka is home to millions. Could we make it better for us all?
