Living in ankle- deep water

Trackback URL

Download PDF

West Monipur in the city has been under ankle-deep water for a week following heavy downpour due to poor drainage in the area.

About 10,000 people who live in the area have to make their way through this stinky, stagnant water — which is knee deep at places — daily running risk of various infections.

Md Razu, 57, a resident of the area, said he has already acquired skin problems as he has been wading through the dirty water every day. There are many others with similar complaints, he said.

Another local, Aiyub Ali, said that the locals face water logging in the area even after light rain and the stagnant water stands waist deep after heavy downpour.

“It seems we have to be stranded for about six months in a year and can only get relief in the dry season,” he said adding that this has been going on for the past three years.

The worst sufferers of the situation are the school going children who wade through the dirty water every day. Reluctant parents are forced to let their children make through the stagnant water to school each day.

Rickshawpullers stay away from the area due to the water, so there is no alternative to walking to school.

There are about 500 students of Monipur high school and primary school living in the area. At present they are using a detour to reach the school but that adds about an additional two kilometres walk to their journey.

Students of Mirpur Bangla High School were seen yesterday wading through the dirty water in gumboots to get home. Like them, residents of the area who wear gumboots are spared contact with the slimy water.

The area sitting the mosque in west Monipur, Baitul Mamur Jam-e Mosque and Monipur Siddikiya Madrasa and Orphanage is also under water, causing problems to regular worshippers.

Residents of the area are keeping to their homes, not venturing out unless absolutely necessary.

Uncovered manholes of the area are also adding to the misery of the people.

“A man who came to deliver supplies to a local shop tripped on an open manhole last night,” said Awlad Hossain, a HSC student of the area.

A WASA official said that the water logging in the area has arisen, as there is no outlet to pass the rainwater.

The drainage of the area used to have a link to the Kalyanpur Gha Khal but that link is now blocked up.

Some residents say that construction of new buildings has filled up the storm sewerage drains and that is the main reason behind water logging in the area.

Hazi Abdul Kader, commissioner of ward-14 and acting commissioner of ward-13, said that he has informed the DCC many times and also sent a letter to the zonal executive officer concerned two weeks ago when the rains started to look into the matter.

“I have submitted estimates to the DCC, of about Tk 3 crore that’s needed to repair the roads and improve the drainage works under ward 14 and 13 a few days ago and am waiting for a response,” he said.

“Although every ward had an allocation of Tk 50,000 for repairs in the fiscal year 2007-2008, we could not do any work last year as we did not get any money from DCC,” he said.

DCC Chief Engineer colonel Ashfaqul Islam said they have included west Monipur area in their working plan for the current fiscal and the area is on its priority list.

“Our working plan of the entire capital city will be completed by July 31 and we will start work from August,” he said.

Leave a Reply