On one side is the Turag River, and on the other, the Tongi canal. Between them lies Uttara, a vast area of the capital. Just three decades ago, this area had several small and large canals, including Diabari, Bailjuri, Faydabad, and Kaladia. A significant portion of Uttara was a floodplain. Due to poor government planning, these canals, wetlands, and even parts of the river began to be filled up one after another. Over the past 30 years, government and private housing projects and educational institutions have dramatically changed the landscape of Uttara. Despite recommendations from the National River Conservation Commission, the government did not take steps to preserve these natural water bodies.
After the recent catastrophic BAF fighter jet crash at Uttara’s Milestone School and College, the land use in Uttara has once again come under discussion. Questions have been raised regarding how educational institutions received approval within a flying zone. The approval process and safety concerns surrounding other large educational institutions and towering housing projects in Uttara have also become subjects of renewed debate.
Urban researchers say that before independence, Dhaka’s airport was located in Tejgaon. Following independence, the airport was shifted to Kurmitola in 1980. At that time, Uttara was divided into small villages, and most of the area was underwater. The airport was built on higher ground. Experts say it was necessary for the airport to be surrounded by water. In that sense, Kurmitola was a suitable location. However, after the construction of Dhaka’s flood control embankment, or Beribadh, in the 1990s, the area began to change. The Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK) launched a housing project there. Later, more government housing projects followed, along with the establishment of schools, colleges, and universities in the area. All these housing and infrastructure developments were built by filling in natural water bodies. That is why disaster risks in residential areas such as Uttara have increased significantly.
Professor Dr. Akter Mahmud, former president of the Bangladesh Institute of Planners (BIP), said RAJUK’s weakness played a major role in the filling of Uttara’s natural reservoirs. He said, “RAJUK has three main functions: urban planning, development, and development control. In 1995, RAJUK made a plan that designated land use in Dhaka. Uttara was marked as a floodplain at that time. But by the 2010 DAP (Detailed Area Plan), much of that floodplain had already been filled. The 2022 DAP shows even more filling. The filling happened in two ways. RAJUK itself violated its own plan and built various housing projects. On the other hand, by failing to control development, it allowed large infrastructures and buildings to be constructed. Even now, if the state takes initiative, the remaining wetlands can still be preserved. For that, the state must come forward with firm decisions.”
The 2019 annual report of the National River Conservation Commission states that there are over 20 large canals under the Cantonment and Gulshan circles, which are connected to Uttara’s floodplains. Many of these canals even flow through Uttara itself. These canals include Bailjuri Khal, Faydabad Khal, Joar Shahara’s Kaldia Khal, Kalidia Khal, Jumai Khal, Mosaid Khal, Baothar Tolna Khal, Dhelna Khal, Bhatara Khal, Joar Shahara Khal, Dewan Para Khal, Amaiya Khal, Gulshan Lake, Nirnichak Khal, Bhaturia Khal, Chhoto Palashia Khal, Palashia Khal, Chamur Khan Khal, Uzanpur Khal, and Gobindapur Khal.
The commission’s report clearly states who has encroached on these canals and floodplains. It notes that the BGMEA University of Fashion & Technology (BUFT) was built by occupying the Diabari canal in Uttara. In addition to BUFT, the permanent campus of Uttara University was also constructed by filling part of the canal. In 2012, BUFT was established on about six bighas (1 Bigha is equivalent to 14,400 Square Feet) of land over the Diabari canal in Turag’s Nishatnagar area. Along with this, many other government and private institutions and infrastructure projects have gradually filled up Uttara’s natural water bodies.
Besides highlighting the encroachment and disappearance of Uttara’s natural water bodies and canals, the commission’s report also recommends that ten government agencies take action to recover and preserve these water bodies. The recommended agencies are the District Administration, Dhaka North and South City Corporations, Department of Environment, Dhaka WASA, Directorate of Land Records and Survey, BIWTA, SPARRSO, and the Metro River Police Commissionerate.
Last Friday (August 1), a visit to various areas of Uttara confirmed the findings of the commission’s report. BUFT and Uttara University are seen standing on land that was once part of the Diabari canal. Right next to the university, a middle-aged fisherman named Abdur Rahman was repairing his fishing gear. He said, “Two decades ago, all of Uttara was filled with water. There used to be plenty of fish here. Now, we only catch some during the monsoon. These days, I fish in the Turag River. We don’t get fish in the canal like before.”
In front of Milestone School, a rickshaw puller named Abul Kalam said, “Where this school is now used to be water. There’s still water behind the school. Bit by bit, everything is being filled up.”
Dr. Adil Muhammad Khan, Executive Director of the Institute for Planning and Development (IPD), said that the transformation of land use in Uttara began with RAJUK’s involvement in filling up water bodies. Speaking to Bonik Barta, he said, “In 1995, RAJUK developed a satellite township here. Then it built Uttara third phase. That’s when the land use pattern in Uttara started changing. Gradually, government and private housing and educational institutions started to emerge. Most recently, the metro rail depot and metro office were also built by filling up wetlands. Rajuk played no role in stopping this. Because of this unchecked filling of natural reservoirs, Uttara will become a waterlogged area in the future. And since the airport is very close by, residents will also have to live with many types of risks.”
Professor Nazrul Islam, President of the Center for Urban Studies, said the consequences of RAJUK’s poor planning go far beyond the disruption of everyday life in Uttara. Explaining the situation, he said, “The airport was established in Kurmitola in the 1980s. At the time, this area wasn’t densely populated. Later, as the economy grew, the country needed a larger airport. But now there’s no space for an extended runway. An airport needs large water bodies nearby so emergency landings can be made if necessary. That used to be available in Uttara. But now it’s gone. So now there’s a crisis over where to build a larger airport. We had proposed either Arial Beel or Purbachal. But Arial Beel has environmental issues. And Purbachal is now a residential zone. That means there’s currently no available site for a future large airport.”
For the past two decades, Syeda Rizwana Hasan, former Chief Executive of the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA), and Mohammad Ejaz, Chairman of the River and Delta Research Centre (RDRC), have played a key role in protecting Uttara’s natural reservoirs. Syeda Rizwana Hasan is currently an adviser to the Ministry of Environment and Forests, and Mohammad Ejaz is the administrator of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC).
When contacted regarding the issue, Mohammad Ejaz said, “I spoke out against filling up Uttara’s natural reservoirs and flood flow zones in the past, and I’m still saying it—the activities of RAJUK at that time were not right. RAJUK created plots by filling up reservoirs and selling them. That was wrong. After becoming administrator, I’ve been trying to recover occupied canals. We’ve already recovered the Konai River. Our efforts are ongoing.”
Attempts were made to contact Environment Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan regarding current initiatives in light of her past efforts to protect natural reservoirs. Several calls were made to her mobile phone, but she did not answer. An SMS was also sent, but there was no response.