Built at a cost of about BDT 20 billion, Dhaka’s Hatirjheel offered an alternative route that avoided traffic jams, along with boat services and a clean environment around an attractive water body. It became known as one of the capital’s most successful urban development projects.
More than a decade after its opening, however, the lake has become a source of growing concern, with dark, polluted water and an intolerable stench spreading beyond its banks into nearby residential areas.
Environmental experts warn that years of sewage accumulation may be damaging the lake’s ecosystem and could produce harmful gases.
People familiar with the project blame shortcomings in management and maintenance, alleging that the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) has failed to act effectively on expert recommendations to control the pollution.
A recent visit to Hatirjheel found dark and dirty water, with a strong smell across the Sonargaon, Moghbazar, Rampura and Mahanagar sections. Many people walking beside the lake were seen covering their noses and mouths. Local residents said the smell had made people less inclined to visit the lake and spend time there.
“I used to come here regularly to walk. Now I come only occasionally. The stench is so severe that it feels as though life is being drained out of me. There’s no longer an environment here for walking or staying,” Almas Sarkar, a resident of Mahanagar Project, told Bonik Barta.
The smell has also spread into nearby homes, residents said. “Those of us living in the surrounding areas can smell it inside our homes, too. Living with this strong smell has become almost impossible. Many tenants have changed homes,” said Taslima Akter, a Mahanagar Residential Area resident.
Since Hatirjheel opened in January 2013, the Bangladesh Army’s Special Works Organisation (SWO) had been responsible for its management and maintenance. When the project period ended on June 30, 2021, the government decided to hand responsibility to Rajuk, the project’s permanent owner and implementing agency. Rajuk has effectively been responsible for the lake since July that year.
People familiar with the project say the lake’s environment gradually deteriorated after it came under Rajuk’s supervision. Chemicals were previously used to control the smell and a system supplied oxygen to the lake bed. They allege that these measures were not maintained consistently. Sewage entering the lake from surrounding areas has added to the pollution.
Urban analysts say the smell used to become more intense only during winter. But over the past two years, the problem has persisted for almost the entire year, affecting pedestrians and residents around the lake.
Dhanmondi, Gulshan and Banani lakes also suffer from severe pollution. But people familiar with the situation say the smell around those water bodies has not yet reached the same intolerable level as at Hatirjheel.
The spread of the smell across a large part of Hatirjheel has raised questions about its management and maintenance.
Architectural firm Vitti Sthapati was involved in Hatirjheel’s design and construction. Its chief executive, Iqbal Habib, told Bonik Barta that the lake had reached the stage of eutrophication due to inadequate maintenance.
“As the water becomes stagnant, the water body is losing its life. Rajuk is entirely responsible,” he said.
Habib said Rajuk had held a meeting about a year and a half ago to determine how to control pollution at the lake. Experts involved in the project were asked for their views. They spent about a month and a half preparing recommendations without payment and submitted them to Rajuk. But he said no effective action had been taken to implement them over the following year and a half.
“Our main recommendation was that sewage must not be allowed to enter the lake under any circumstances. The waste could be sent to the Dasherkandi sewage treatment plant through the large pipes running along both sides of the lake. We also gave Rajuk specific recommendations for treating the water and restoring the ecosystem. But for a year and a half, the recommendations have remained in files and Rajuk has taken no initiative,” Habib said.
Experts warn that restoring Hatirjheel will be difficult unless sewage is kept out and existing pollution is brought under control. Cleaning the water alone will not be enough. The sources of pollution must also be addressed and the lake’s natural ecosystem restored, they said.
Environmental experts also warn that sewage accumulation and damage to the ecosystem could lead to the production of harmful gases.
Dr Ahmad Kamruzzaman Majumder, dean of the faculty of science and professor of environmental science at Stamford University Bangladesh, told Bonik Barta that sewage was one of the main sources of pollution at Hatirjheel.
“If this waste accumulates for years, the decomposition of organic matter can produce gases such as methane. Such gases are harmful to human health and the environment,” he said.
Hatirjheel’s pollution is no longer just a problem of appearance or smell and has become a concern for residents’ quality of life, public health and the environment, according to experts. The situation could worsen unless the sources of pollution are stopped, sewage management is improved and regular maintenance is ensured.
The lake was once seen as an example of protecting urban water bodies and public space. Its current condition raises questions about the capacity of urban management. Without adequate maintenance, a major project built at considerable expense risks losing both its long-term usefulness and its environmental value.
Rajuk and the Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Wasa) blame each other for the pollution. Rajuk says Wasa’s inadequate sewerage network allows sewage from Panthapath, Dhanmondi, Green Road and surrounding areas to flow directly into Hatirjheel. Wasa says Rajuk is responsible for the infrastructure needed to carry the waste to treatment facilities.
Rajuk Chief Engineer Md Muzaffar Uddin told Bonik Barta that Hatirjheel was an integrated project and that Wasa was responsible for ensuring sewage did not enter the lake. But during rain, he said, the capacity of the special sewerage pipes, known as the SSD network, along both banks was exceeded. Waste and water were then released directly into Hatirjheel to reduce waterlogging in Panthapath, Dhanmondi and nearby areas.
“That’s how the lake has gradually become foul-smelling,” he said.
Muzaffar Uddin said temporary measures were planned to reduce the smell. With rain forecast for this Tuesday, he said chemicals would be applied as an urgent measure after the rain stopped, which he expected would substantially reduce the smell. Rajuk had also written to Wasa asking it to take over management of the sewerage lines. Wasa had agreed and said a separate project would be undertaken, he added.
Rajuk also says construction of the Dhaka Elevated Expressway has contributed to the pollution. Its officials say construction has prevented the diffusers in the Sonargaon section from operating, disrupting oxygen supply to the water and the treatment process. This has made pollution control more difficult, they say.
Dhaka Wasa denies responsibility for the pollution, saying it has no sewerage network in Hatirjheel. It says the SSD network along both sides of the lake is under Rajuk’s supervision.
Md Abdul Kader, deputy chief public information officer at Wasa, told Bonik Barta that Rajuk was responsible for carrying sewage through the SSD network to the Rampura lifting station. Wasa was then responsible for transporting it to the Dasherkandi sewage treatment plant, treating it and discharging the treated water into the river.
“We suspect there’s a leak somewhere in Rajuk’s SSD line, allowing sewage to spread into the lake and cause the smell,” Kader said.
As Rajuk and Wasa dispute responsibility for the infrastructure, Hatirjheel’s pollution continues to affect people living and travelling around the lake.