Unified governance is crucial for Dhaka’s survival
Dhaka needs a central body empowered to make and enforce urban policies, including integrated climate actions reflected in sectoral plans and policies, particularly against the rising impacts of climate change
The images of Dhaka during April and May 2024 almost resembled scenes from a post-apocalyptic science fiction movie. A prolonged heatwave, with temperatures nearing 45 °C, brought the city almost to its knees.
This was followed by Cyclone Remal, which flooded Dhaka, infamous for its largely inefficient water management. And just like yesterday morning, the monsoon will be paralysing the city again and again, bringing a likely dengue outbreak. Is there any hope for Dhaka?
While these issues are partly due to climate change—of which Dhaka's citizens contribute very little—the existing divisive governance system of the city is largely to blame. Governance failures place Dhaka's 20 million residents in a perpetual state of crisis. The climate crisis is merely exposing the weaknesses of a management system that fails to stand up to natural or man-made disasters, such as frequent fires.
Dhaka's administrative bifurcation into two city corporations, each led by a separate mayor, was initially intended to improve urban management. However, this division has led to disjointed service delivery and a lack of cohesive policy direction.
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Often, the two mayors have different visions for their parts of the city, negatively affecting overall livability. Over fifty independent organisations, operating with minimal coordination from the city corporations, handle essential services like water, roads, gas, disaster management, and others. The mayors, lacking control over these agencies, are left to shoulder the blame for systemic failures beyond their remit.
Consider the issue of water and flood management. According to a recent World Bank study, planning in Dhaka is carried out by RAJUK, with limited input from the planning offices of the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC). Agencies like RAJUK, the Water Development Board, and the city corporations all report to different ministries without any clear oversight.
There is no clear ownership of urban water bodies, and the maintenance of natural canals and river systems is neglected. This unclarified responsibility creates a formidable administrative burden, resulting in increased urban flooding that causes millions of dollars in damage annually. Other sectors, like water supply, electricity, and public health, suffer from similar administrative issues.
Integrated urban planning is crucial for supporting integrated climate action, where all departments align towards development goals, strategies, and actions. However, Dhaka's disjointed urban governance creates confusion and disservice, which taxpaying citizens do not deserve.
It is impossible to promote an integrated approach to urban development and climate resilience with a long-term vision under the current fragmented system. The need for a centralised authority is evident and should begin by merging the two city corporations. Enough experimentation has shown that a divided city cannot function and deliver services effectively. A unified governance system is essential for coherent and comprehensive urban planning and policy implementation.
I have previously underscored the need for centralised administration in my earlier writing in TBS, stressing that bringing all independent service providers under one governance unit is crucial with very clearly defined responsibilities and mutual engagement mechanisms.
Now more than ever, Dhaka needs a central body empowered to make and enforce urban policies, including integrated climate actions reflected in sectoral plans and policies, particularly against the rising impacts of climate change. This body should have the authority to integrate the efforts of all service providers, ensuring coherent and strategic decision-making.
A centralised decision-making centre can harmonise the fragmented efforts of various agencies, leading to more efficient and effective service delivery.
All these proposals are not entirely new and have been shunned for a long time. It is imperative that Dhaka take bold steps towards this governance transformation to secure a sustainable future for its residents and ensure accountability, starting with merging these divided city corporations into one.
The government must prioritise serving citizens over political gains and allow the city to be run by its publicly representative bodies. Without a unified governance approach, Dhaka's prospects will remain bleak, and its citizens will continue to suffer from systemic inefficiencies and fragmented administration. The choice is clear: either Dhaka embraces a cohesive governance model or it continues to deteriorate under the weight of its disjointed systems.
A unified governance system, where policy development is participatory but centrally coordinated and service delivery is decentralised, can transform Dhaka into a resilient, responsive, and livable city. The main principles of unified urban governance are as follows:
(i) There will be one city or municipal corporation in Dhaka instead of the current two, which is a significant source of the burgeoning set of problems.
(ii) The city or municipal administration will lead and coordinate the planning, policy development, and alignment of all development activities within their administrative jurisdiction and, when necessary, with the central and neighbouring city governments.
(iii) A legally empowered city corporation will coordinate the implementation of policies, but the policies will be implemented by the service-providing agencies such as DWASA, DESCO, BWDB, LGED, roads and highways, DPHE, and others, which could be autonomous, semi-autonomous, or part of the city corporation.
(iv) Services should be available to the doorsteps of citizens and should be coordinated by the local councils or wards.
(v) Urban local governments should report to one central ministry instead of multiple ministries as currently practised.
The multilevel model that is globally accepted and widely practised would ensure all parts of the city move towards common goals, leveraging the strengths of both centralised oversight and localised implementation, and most importantly, breaking the "silo" approach to decision-making, which is an abuse of power.
Service-provider agencies should be empowered to manage day-to-day operations while adhering to central policy guidelines, including the goals of national governments, with the provision of feedback mechanisms among the different levels.
The whole operation should be further optimised through the gradual adoption of "smart city/digital city" principles, which will further increase accountability and participation. The best-case examples, even from the megacities of neighbouring countries such as Kolkata, Mumbai, or Shanghai, offer a great variety of learnings about inclusive and progressive municipal governance, which ensures policy alignments between service-providing agencies and also with greater regional interests.
Unified and integrated governance will furthermore save a big chunk of time, labour, and money currently being wasted for coordination among dozens of service providers and ministries without generating satisfactory results.
All these proposals are not entirely new and have been sought for a long time. It is imperative that Dhaka take bold steps towards this governance transformation to secure a sustainable future for its residents and ensure accountability, starting with merging these divided city corporations into one.
The ruling government allows the city to be run by its publicly representative bodies. Without a unified governance approach, Dhaka's prospects will remain bleak, and its citizens will continue to suffer from systemic inefficiencies and fragmented administration. The choice is clear: either Dhaka embraces a cohesive governance model or it continues to deteriorate under the weight of its disjointed systems.
Dr Nazmul Huq is an urban planner and sustainability researcher at the University of Applied Science Cologne, Germany.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of The Business Standard.
