Recovering Dhaka’s canals from encroachers won’t be easy – Baunia canal shows why

Amid the crowded presence of multi-story buildings, slums, garages, mosques, and various other structures, it is difficult to discern the existence of a canal behind the Police Staff College in the capital's Mirpur 13.

These structures have been built by illegally encroaching on canal land. Additionally, settlements have sprung up in the middle of the canal, creating island-like structures made of trash.

The canal, known as the Baunia Canal, stretches about 7.2 km before merging with the Turag River in Uttara. Once a flowing river, it has gradually transformed into a canal and is now more of a drain.

As part of the interim government's initiative to restore the city's canals, the first phase of the operation has begun, aiming to restore six canals. The Baunia Canal is one of them.

On 2 February, the initiative began with this important canal.

Experts believe that clearing the canal of encroachments would significantly alleviate waterlogging issues in both the Mirpur and Cantonment areas.

However, questions have arisen about how the canal can be cleared of encroachments, as various housing societies, private entities, and occupiers have taken over portions of it.

Even the City Corporation has filled in portions of the canal to build roads. Various government agencies, including Dhaka Wasa, Rajuk, and the Deputy Commissioner's office, have also occupied the canal land to build their facilities. In fact, some parts of the canal have even been leased out by different government agencies.

A large portion of this canal falls under the jurisdiction of the Dhaka North City Corporation.

An official from the city corporation, speaking on condition of anonymity, told TBS, "Such initiatives are not new; previous mayors have also taken similar steps. However, after some initial enthusiasm, these efforts often stall within a few days. Projects come and go under various names, and we try to implement them, but due to pressure from various quarters, these activities end up being halted."

In the area where the Baunia canal restoration work started, a section of the canal has been encroached upon by a group that has constructed several houses, creating an island-like settlement and renting out the properties.

Along the canal's bank, a wide road built by the city corporation runs, and nearby there is a school and college, as well as two multi-story buildings. On the opposite side of the canal, in a floodplain area, a signboard for another school and college is posted.

The encroachment and pollution are not limited to this section; the canal is heavily occupied and polluted throughout its length.

Near the Vashantek Bridge area, a small culvert has been constructed, blocking half of the canal, with multi-story buildings and slums developing around it.

Local resident of the area, Fayezul Bepari, said, "Earlier, mayors would come to reclaim the canal, demolishing a few houses in the slums, but the larger encroachers faced no consequences. I don't think this government will do much either."

A resident from Vashantek, Aziz, said, "It is the housing developers and government officials who have occupied this canal. I have never seen the city corporation or RAJUK stop the construction of large buildings on the canal."

"Once, large trawlers used to come through this canal. I personally used to fish in this canal. You could swim across from one side of the canal to the other. Now, it's all just memories. The encroachers have managed to get papers made by influencing the government," he said.

Years of effort, but little success

During the previous government, the former mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation, Atiqul Islam, frequently visited canals in the city, presenting various plans, initiatives, and assurances to the public about the recovery of the canals.

He even led recovery efforts in several canals in Mirpur. However, during his tenure, the city residents did not witness a single canal being fully freed from encroachment and pollution. While some buildings were demolished in select areas, progress halted shortly thereafter.

At the time, Mayor Atiqul also highlighted the interference of encroachers and influential political figures.

Speaking about the encroachment of canals in 2024, he told TBS, "Every time I attempt to free a canal from encroachment, I end up becoming a target of the government's top officials. Still, I continue to do whatever I can."

No headway towards removing illegal structures

City corporation officials say they are unable to carry out the integrated canal recovery programme. Several officials from both city corporations told this newspaper that given the current situation, apart from cleaning the waste from the existing canals, it is not possible to demolish or remove illegal structures.

Although the recovery operation started on Sunday from the Mirpur-13 section of the Bounia canal, it has not been possible to remove an island-like settlement within the canal, multi-story buildings constructed within the canal, and encroachers in the surrounding area, even after four days.

Dhaka North City Corporation Chief Waste Management Officer Captain Mohammad Fida Hasan said

"In reality, the police force, resources, and manpower required for canal recovery are not available in Dhaka North. The current work can be termed as cleaning the waste from the canal."

He added, "We hope to restore the water flow by cleaning the waste over a stretch of 2.64 kilometres from Mirpur. As for the illegal structures built on canal land, they will have to be removed with force, as per the committee's recommendations."

An official from Dhaka South said they are progressing with the waste removal work from Manda and Kalunagar canals, but at the moment, it is not possible for them to remove illegal encroachments.

He also mentioned the lack of sufficient manpower and funds and the inadequate presence of law enforcement forces as their main challenges.

Bangladesh Institute of Planners General Secretary Planner Sheikh Muhammad Mehdi Ahsan said, "If they are unable to remove the illegal structures from the canals, then they should not have undertaken this programme.

"Canal recovery means reclaiming the canal by referring to the CS and RS maps, restoring the flow, and ensuring the capacity to hold rainwater in the canals. Simply dredging the canals is not enough; sustainability is also required."

What the govt plans

The interim government plans to recover and restore the water flow of encroached and polluted canals with the goal of establishing the "Blue Network" – an extensive network of pollution-free canals – in Dhaka city.

As part of this initiative, a total of 19 canals across two city corporations will be renovated.

The programme has begun with the restoration of six canals in the first phase. The remaining canals will be renovated in subsequent phases.

The six canals included in the first phase are four in the Dhaka North City Corporation area – Baunia, Karail, Rupnagar, and Begunbari – and two in the Dhaka South City Corporation area – Manda and Kalunagar.

The canal restoration efforts will include boundary demarcation, cleaning, embankment protection, and the construction of the "Blue Network".

Environment, Forest, Climate Change, and Water Resources Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan inaugurated the first phase of the initiative on 2 February.

She said, "We must revive the canals of Dhaka. The canals will become the lifeblood of the city."

"Waste from the houses around the canals must be disposed of in a planned way at designated locations. We will form a committee with local residents, and there will be one committee every two kilometres to monitor this."

Asif Mahmud Sajeeb Bhuiyan, adviser to the Ministry of Local Government, said, "If we imagine Dhaka city as the human body, the canals are the veins and arteries. With collective efforts, we must revive these canals by making them pollution-free, dredging them, and restoring them."

The local government adviser expressed hopes for the continuation of the "Blue Network" initiative and emphasised the need for full cooperation and participation from the city's residents in the canal restoration process.