Dhaka improves, still 7th most unsafe city

Poor condition of digital, infrastructure, personal as well as environmental security has made Dhaka the seventh least safe city in the world.

Among the 60 cities featured in the Safe Cities Index 2021, Dhaka climbed two notches up from its position on the previous index.

The biennial report, released on Monday by the Economist Intelligence Unit, put Dhaka in 54th position, only ahead of Yangon, Karachi, Caracas, Cairo, Lagos, and Casablanca.

Earlier, the capital of Bangladesh was ranked 56th in the 2019 index and 58th in 2017.

Professor Adil Mohammed Khan, general secretary of the Bangladesh Institute of Planners, said the poor livability condition of Dhaka had already appeared in many international reports.

"Now Dhaka's position on the index reflects the city's real situation as every parameter of the safety indicators lacks good governance and implementation of policies," he added.

Dhaka's overall score in the 2021 index stood at 48.9 out of 100, up from the previous score of 44.6.

Copenhagen came out as the safest city, with 82.4 points and Toronto followed close behind with 82.2.

However, Asia-Pacific cities dominated the top 10, with Singapore (3rd), Sydney (4th), Tokyo (5th), Wellington (7th), Hong Kong and Melbourne (jointly 8th) bringing the region's total to six spots.

Sponsored by NEC Corporation, the report is based on 76 indicators under five broad pillars: digital, health, infrastructure, personal and environmental security.

Dhaka's performance across pillars

Sadly, Dhaka ranked among the 10 most unsafe cities in all pillars of the index, excluding environmental security.

The city came fifth most unsafe city in digital security with a score of only 39, while Sydney is the safest followed by Singapore and Copenhagen.

The pillar assesses the ability of urban citizens to freely use the internet and other digital channels without fear of privacy violations, identity theft and malicious online attacks.

With a score of 49.6, Dhaka was named the sixth most unsafe city in infrastructure security while Hong Kong is the safest.

The pillar considers the built physical environment, measuring the availability, quality and sufficiency of existing city infrastructure and its vulnerability to man-made and natural disasters.

In personal security – considering to what extent citizens are at risk of becoming victims of crime, violence, terrorist threats, natural disasters and economic vulnerabilities – Dhaka is the seventh most unsafe city while Copenhagen is the safest.

Health security measures the level and quality of healthcare services and infrastructure in the city, in which Dhaka is ranked ninth least safe city.

Dhaka performed relatively better in environmental security – considering how the city has incorporated sustainability parameters into its urban planning to reduce carbon emissions and manage climate risks – becoming the 14th least safe city ahead of neighbouring New Delhi and Karachi.