Due to overpopulation, the gap between housing demand and housing supply is increasing day by day. The victims of this problem are the single men and women from a lower-middle-class or middle-class background who shift to Dhaka pursuing a job or higher education. They all require a decent place to stay. However, the options available to them lies in the limited spectrum of dormitories, hostels and messes. Life here is a constant struggle, as you have to share a room with complete strangers and carry out your own cooking and cleaning while juggling a job or one’s studies. The rents are too high compared to the rooms that are available- dark and damp rooms in the basement or dingy rooms in the rooftop that turns into a hot mess in the summer. This is a common scenario of the bachelor life in Dhaka which stems from the lack of sufficient housing units.

According to the survey, the shortage of houses in 2000 was 5 million, which has spiked to 8.5 million in 2019. 35% of the population in Dhaka live in slums or in an informal setting, as the Bachelors live in hostels, messes or dormitories, sharing a room with 5-6 people in a dire condition. The condition of halls in public universities is quite the same- many students have to share a room, two people in one small bed, bad quality food and meagre amenities.

• There are 18 residential halls in Dhaka University available to both the male and female students.
• Although there isn’t any available figure on the total number of hostels and messes in Dhaka but according to the Bangladesh Mess Organization, there are 1.5 million mess tenants in Dhaka.
• Most of the hostels for girls and boys are located in crowed areas like Azimpur, Dhanmondi, Lalmatia, Farmgate houses the most messes and hostels. Among these, the Sardar Colony is the largest bachelor’s mess, located in the South Kamlapur region of the city which provides accommodation to 2,500 men. Each room is shared by 5 to 6 people and the rent ranges from Tk 1,400 to Tk 2,500 a month. The tenants pay electricity bill of their own, but water and gas bills are included in the rent. In most of these messes, the bachelors have to either cook for themselves or employ a maid that they hire together. In other setting like hostels, sometimes the food is provided but due to the quality of the food the bachelors have to resort to the aforementioned alternative.

As the gap between supply and demand increase, it has been seen that the government can meet only a 7% of the total housing demand, whereas the private sectors contribute 93%. The private housing segment is again of two types.

1. Informal Private housing covering 55% of the private housing segment and
2. Formal housing supplies covering 45%, supplied by real estate development

Due to the provision of unplanned housing development due to rapid urbanization and overpopulation, the bachelors are facing many challenges every day. The condition has gotten worse in the wake of the Gulshan Terror attack and the Kolyanpur militant raid as it had left the home owners in a state of shock and distrust. Following these events, the police has carried out 60 bloc raids, harassing the bachelors, prompting the house owners to stop renting out places for bachelor’s messes. All these issues indicate towards the root cause behind all these problems- lack of sufficient housing units. Some of the other challenges faced by them are highlighted here-

• The struggle to find a place- Finding a proper place in the bustling city of Dhaka is a huge hardship. One has to ask around, put ads on paper or venture around the city looking for to-lets. One top of that, they need to carry a number of identification papers and documents to establish contact with the house owners.

• Insufficient space and lack of public amenities: The rooms available are always dingy with insufficient space and bad lighting. Lack of proper ventilation, presence of insects are bedbugs are some of the problematic features of the poor quality of the rooms. Some hostels and messes have horrible supply of public amenities. Lack of smooth supply of water and gas, frequent load shedding are few of its examples.

• Enforcement of too many rules –When living in a hostel or a mess, one has to conform to rules one too many. Strict dining hours, limited use of gas and electricity, no female/male visitor policy for male and female hostels respectively and the closing time of gates at the most inconvenient hours limit the quality of live for the bachelors.

• Lack of proper security- This can be noticed mostly in female housing areas. The neighborhood where these hostels are located aren’t always safe. It causes a great ordeal for single mothers and divorcees who seek a secured space to live. On top of that, girls sharing the same room often complain about losing their important items as there lies a tendency among some people who steal from the others due to lack of surveillance.

• Sudden Evacuation – Living as a bachelor is no easy. Even after you manage to find an adequate accommodation, sudden evacuations leave you in a hopeless state. One has to start the process of searching for a new home all from the scratch.

The lack of sufficient infrastructure and planned management in housing units, the bachelors are suffering with a low quality of city life. It is highly important that the government addresses the housing problems and make the housing market accessible for all. Few of the noteworthy steps already taken by the government are-

• “Housing for all” has been highlighted on the national goals of Vision 2021 by the government
• In the list of 11 goals addressed in the Sustainable Development Goals in Bangladesh, the government plans to provide sufficient, safe and affordable housing to the people by 2030.

Even though there have been limited steps taken by the government to mitigate this problem, the bachelors have become quite vocal in protesting for their rights to housing and discriminations inflicted upon them. Therefore, addressing the recent events of harassment of the bachelor tenants by the house owners and law enforcers, the tenants held a protest in front of Jatiya Press Club in the capital on August 11. They participated in the rally under the banner of Bharatia Parishad, an organization of tenants. The organization also placed a fourpoint demand including ensuring safe and secure accommodations for bachelor tenants in Dhaka.

“We have participated in the programme to raise our voice against the house owners and other concerned authorities such as Ministry of Education and Ministry of Housing and Public Works. It seems that none of them was student or bachelor at any point of their life. Nobody realises our problems and sufferings,” said Ekramul Islam, a participant of the rally and a student of Jagannath University. There is no provision for low-cost and affordable housing or the development of the housing sector. Lack of government initiative to protect agricultural land and water bodies are also making the condition worse. The government need to encourage more private organizations to invest in the housing sector of Bangladesh. Through deployment of manpower and new initiatives to efficiently distribute the resources among all the classes of people is necessary. Creating dorms in private universities and improving the condition of the halls in public universities can improve the condition of the Bachelors.

Without the proper management and decentralization of space among the people, there will come a time when people have to start living in the streets. The megacity is going through many positive changes and developments but insufficiency of adequate living space especially to the youth can implode the progresses made by the city. Hence, it is high time the development authorities, 12 city corporation and the 328 municipalities jointly take an effective initiative to address the growing housing problems among this struggling class of bachelors. A country cannot move forward if the quality of the daily life of the youth suffers in such a pathetic way.

An Interesting Take on the topic:

Zeba Ahmed, a 28 year old single woman, who wants to move out of her parents’ house says, “I come from a middle-lass family and I was raised in a pretty solvent household but now as my brothers’ family is getting bigger, I need to move out due to lack of enough space. But earning a decent living, it is not possible for me to afford rent for an entire house.” She further added, “Living alone as a bachelor in this city is quite difficult, firstly the condition of the messes is despicable and the rent is too high. And If you’re renting a house, many factors come to play- finding the right roommates, looking for a secure neighborhood and lastly and most importantly, the willingness of the the landlords to rent you the place.”

Sairun Begum, a part-time maid living in the Bihari camp shares, “I work throughout the day in three different houses and in the evening, I mop the floors of a nearby mosque. My monthly income comes around to 5000 taka a month.” She says, “I live in one room in the congested housing of the camp along with my husband and two sons. The rent is 3000 taka which leaves me with just about nothing to feed my children and I cannot even send them to school. The rent is way too high for us poor people but there is no other alternative.”

Although, this shift has increased the overall population of the city, giving rise to several problems. Different socio-economic issues are plaguing the city and deteriorating the quality of people’s lives. Almost all societies have certain norms, beliefs, customs and traditions which are implicitly accepted by its members as conducive to their well-being and heathy allround development. Crimes in the city is one such problem which roots from over-population. There is a correlation between urbanization and city crimes. As more people move to the city seeking new employment opportunities, the concentrated mass spurs the crime rate. It becomes worse as the gap between the rich and poor increase.

There are different types of crimes taking place in the city, Drug Trafficking, Money Laundering, Extortion, Contract killing, Fraud, Human Trafficking, Robbery, Corruption, Black Marketeering, Political Violence, Terrorism and Abduction, rape, sexual assault, etc. But one of the most heinous crimes against humanity are rape and sexual assault, which causes the victim to go through unthinkable physical and psychological trauma, which is some cases have resulted in death.

In Dhaka, the number of the male population is 64.6 lakh whereas the number of the female population is 54.2 lakh. Even though, the gap between male and female isn’t very wide which in some countries work as a factor for generating Rape and assault, the number of rape and sexual assault against women and children in Dhaka hasn’t declined. Every month, we read up about different rape cases that take place in various parts of the country, among which most of them don’t get filed. The condition has gone so bad that, even 7-8-year-old children are getting raped. It happens to women, children and men of different ages. Moreover, it happens everywhere, in one’s own house, educational institutions, workplace, streets, public transports and through social media. (Cybercrime)

Usually young women especially teenage girls fall victim to most acts of sexual violence but lately there have been a number of case against the rape of small girls below ten, from which shows how any person who lacks security can fall victim to different acts of sexual violence. Moreover, one can get sexually assaulted anywhere in the city- young boys catcalling girls in the streets, women and children touched inappropriately in over-crowded buses, molestation of young girls in school and madrasas, harassment of women in workplaces, maids getting assaulted by house-owners, preteen girls getting abuses by private tutors and even in many cases by their relatives are few of the many scenarios of sexual misconduct that takes place in the city.

• According to Ain o Salish Kendro (AIS), a total of 479 rape cases and 71 attempt to rape cases has been filed among which 28 cases were of death after rape and 7 cases where the victim commited suicide after Rape from January 2019 to May 2019.

Here is a table that shows the number is great detail regaridng the different froms of rape, age of the victim and other important areas.

• Another survey conducted by Odhikar, given the data on rape and the forms of rape on victims of different age collected from the year 2015 to 2018.

• Sexual Harassment in Dhaka rampant in the subtle forms of cat calling and eve-teasing. In most cases, the perpetrator finds its victims in the streets and teases her through different unpleasant ways. There have also been cases where the perpetrator managed to collect the victim’s number and had disturbed her by making incessant calls. It happens everywhere in the city as there are next to no laws that punish people for eve-teasing. Dhaka also sees many cases, where the assaulter stalks the victim and doesn’t stop until a male relative protest against it. The number of cases filed against these stalkers are also less in number.

• Marital Rape is not widely talked about due to misogyny and Dhaka to foster a patriarchal society. But domestic violence and marital rape is quite common in many households in Dhaka.

There are several reasons behind the increased number of rapes and sexual assaults that take place in the city. Among them few have been discussed below:

• Lack of quality education-
  One of the key causes behind sexual violence is the lack of quality education that imparts moral education to young boys and girls. Lack of proper upbringing, fails to teach people social norms and incorporate social values in them. Moreover, the lack of sex education disrupts their concept of consent. On the other hand, many people coming from a better background commits such crime which entails the lack of moral education which is necessary to stop these crimes from occurring.
• Culture of impunity-
  The justice system in our country is inefficient and slow. The lack of strict penal codes against rape and assault, the red tape of the courts which drag one case for years, the lessening of punishment from life sentence to few years, all seem to be less intimidating to the criminal. As they think that they can easily get away with it, they have no fear in committing such crimes. As there are not enough rules and laws regarding assault and stalking in our city, the criminals knowingly tease girls, stalk them without thinking of the consequences.
• Unequal treatment of men and women:
  The patriarchal society of our country has a tendency to look down upon women. Therefore, even when a woman gets assaulted, she is the one who gets blamed. In our society, families instead of teaching their boys how to behave, teach their girls how to dress so they don’t get harassed.
• Lack of women empowerment:
  Even though more women are empowered in our city now than ever before, the existence of child marriages in the city indicate the backwardness among people. In order to empower the girls in our city, they will need to learn self-defense and have a better grasp on education.
• Lack of security:
  The lack of security in our country makes it very difficult for girls to move around freely. Due to lack of security, a fear always persists within the girl who wants to travel alone or remotely wander around the streets after dark. Even travelling on public buses alone is not safe for the girls in the city .
• Objectification of women in films and media:
  Most of the people in our country are exposed to television and media which portray women in a very negative way. They are treated as objects of beauty. Movies and songs in Bollywood and Dhallywood completely disregard the concept of consent and as most people who lack quality education are exposed to it, they have a different understanding of what consent is .

There aren’t sufficient laws prevalent in our country that penalizes people for the different types of harassments perpetrated against women and children. Moreover, the laws that already exists against Rape, have an unclear definition of sexual assault and needs to go through significant changes. Moreover, trial and punishment for rape and sexual abuse do not often happen in Bangladesh as the victims rarely speak out in fear of social dishonour. The problems with existing laws are-

• The Nari O Shishu Nirjatan Daman Ain 2000 (Prevention of Women and Child Repression Act), Domestic Violence Act 2010 and the Penal Code (Section 354 and 509), Section 26 of the DMP Ordinance 1976 which covers teasing women- all these laws talks about different punishment but all of them lack the explicit definition of sexual harassment.
• The laws entail that penetration is deemed sufficient for rape and fails to describe the validity of “consent”.
• Bangladesh took a massive step backward on women’s and girls’ rights in 2017, passing legislation in February permitting girls under 18 years old to marry under “special circumstances,” eliminating the minimum age for marriages in this exception.
• None of the laws address the issue of Marital Rape.

Due to the increase in education in our country, the part of Dhaka has seen the development of women who are working towards combating rape and assault and helping to raise awareness. The government along with some private sectors- NGOs and individuals have promoted initiatives to stop violence against women. A few of them are mentioned here.

• A bill was passed per Section 22 of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act 2000, which states that only female magistrates will record the statements of women and children who suffered rape or any sort of sexual harassment to ensure fair investigation, procedure and justice.
• High court’s 18 directives declared that all police station must record a rape case, and samples are to be sent for DNA testing to a forensic laboratory within 48 hours of the alleged crime taking place.
• NGOs like Odhikar and Ain O Salish Kendro works to collect data regarding all the sexual harassments that take place in the city and provides a detailed report of the cases.
• Recently, Intekhab Hossain, a mathematics and bioinformatics graduate from Williams College, USA, has taken an initiative called the R-squared project, an innovative way of raising awareness through data science- which focused on sexual violence as its pilot study.
• After the advent of the #metoo movement in America, people in our city are speaking out as well. Many people have shared their experiences.

“Justice delayed is justice denied.”- according to the Daily Star, in the Dhaka metro areas, five women and children repression prevention tribunals disposed of 2,057 cases out of 4,436 filed with different police stations from 2001 to 2016, where only 22 cases saw conviction. We can see that the condition of the judicial system in our country does not give proper justice to the victims. The rapists and the assaulters, always find some loophole in the law and get themselves lesser sentences or altogether avoids penalties. This increases the number of rapes and sexual violence in the city.

Our society needs to change its perspective towards issues like Rape and sexual violence and learn how to talk more about it. The government needs to implement new laws that ensure a safe and secure environment for women and children in the society. The government needs to incorporate the study of ethics in every educational institution in order to impart moral and social education. Law enforcement officials should work on improving the social monitoring system and ensure security to its people especially young girls in the city. Families need to generate a healthy domestic environment around their children, where children can attain both social and moral values from a young age. Authorities also need to address the unequal treatment of boys and girls in the society and promote a thorough understanding of consent. Lastly, the government needs to work on an effective legal justice system, without which the number of rapes and assaults and the perpetrators of such crime will never cease to exist. We cannot witness any positive changes unless the government implements strict laws against rapists and sexual assaulters. Without an effective law and order system which ensures the security of women and puts rapists to trail, we cannot move forward. A city where the crime reaches its peak level and the authorities fail to ensure safety of its residents, can never move forward no matter how massive the developments are.

An interesting take on the topic:

Pedophilia has taken a huge form in the city, it’s a disease that causes adults to be sexually attracted to children. Due to lack of awareness and proper sex education, pedophilia has infiltrated the city, instigating several cases of child rape- starting from 7-year-olds to even new borns. It is a mental illness which needs to be addressed and should be treated seriously before it leads to such heinous crimes like rape and assault.

2019 saw an interesting turn of events with the advent of a self-proclaimed crusader- for justice against rape, a person who identifies himself as “Hercules” murdered several alleged rapists. This vigilante upon killing these suspected rapists, have a note in their bodies stating the following- “Rapists, beware”. This emergence of this person who was not identified caused a raucous in social media as few people took his side and few opined against it saying no matter what one must not take the law in their own hands. However, the overall situation provides us with an insight that the failure of the government to provide proper justice to rape victims is the main reason behind the rise of such figures.

Although the county has recently stepped into the threshold of a “developing nation”, overpopulation in the city has stubbed its growth through the influx of different social problems. Due to the concentrated mass in the capital and the wide gap between the rich and the poor, crimes are skyrocketing in the city among which Drug abuse has increased at an alarming rate. It is widely prevalent among young students, both male and female who are in between the ages of 15-30.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), drug is a chemical substance of synthetic, semi-synthetic or natural origin intended for diagnostic, therapeutic or palliative use or for modifying physiological functions of man and animal. Among the different variations of drugs, only three types are available in Dhaka.

The drug abusers come from different backgrounds, some come from poor families and other from affluent families indicating that it is not only poverty that pushes a person towards drug abuse rather many other causes are here to play; Peer pressure, anxiety, depression and hopelessness, mental stress induced due to family pressure, easy access to drugs and curiosity. As people are curious about these things at a young age, most of the substance abusers are young students who fall into this trap while experimentation.

According to a recent survey, around 7.5 million people addicted to drugs in Bangladesh and International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B) shows that in the capital, 79.4 percent of the users are male and 20.6 percent are female. Among which,

• 43% of the unemployed population of the country are addicted to drugs.
• 80% are youth, of whom, 50% are involved in various criminal activities.
• Of the total, 48% of drug addicts are educated and 40% are uneducated.
• Around 57% are sex offenders, while 7% are infected by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
• About 80% of the Drug Addicts were using Yaba, among which 24% are female.
• About 85.7 percent get into consuming drugs under the influence of friends, while 65.8 percent get addicted to various codeine-laced cough syrups.
• A drug user spends around Tk56,560 to Tk90,800 in a year. 7.5 million drug addicts spend about Tk50,000 crore annually. But according to intelligence reports, the average annual expenditure of a drug addict is Tk2.5 lakh.

When a person gets hooked to drugs, the body goes through massive levels of withdrawal if the same amount of drugs does not reach his system- one of the reasons why it is so difficult to get off of drugs. Only through systematic therapy and long-term treatment, can they recover from a drug problem. Rehabs help the patients to recover in such a way so that they don’t relapse. They help mitigate this problem by building good habits and teaching them to identify their emotions and the triggers that make them want to abuse drugs.

• At present, there are 286 licensed rehabs all across the country, and 60 more seeking licenses. Among these, the right number of rehabs located in Dhaka are not known but there are a few many in Mirpur, Dhanmondi, Gulshan, Khilgaon in Dhaka.
• Depending on the time period of recovery- one-month programme, six month programme and the area of the location, rehabs charge around 25,000 taka per month.
• Most of the rehabs lack a scientific and medically sound approach to help the patients.

The condition of the abusers and how they recover and to what extent depends on the physical and psychological care that they receive during their treatments. Depending on that, some drug abusers go to remain sober for the rest of their lives while others almost immediately relapse. For most of these patients, the psychological impact caused by the rehabs are quite heavy. It has been seen that most of the patients who come out of rehabs, comes out with a deadly trauma from incorrect treatment and abusive behavior by the rehab authorities. On the basis of the account collected from a recovering addict, who received treatment from a particular rehab, the following features describe how a typical rehab is ran-

• Admitting the patients forcefully:
  As most of the abusers have a tendency to deny treatment, the rehabs seek the permission of the family members to coerce the abusers into getting admitted into the rehabs. Their way of forcing the drug addicts seem almost equivalent to kidnapping a person.
• Poor living conditions:
  The rooms are damp and extremely cramped where the patients have to share their beds with one another. The bathrooms are beyond filthy due to the low standards of cleanliness. The patients are provided with bad quality food. Upon inspection of a rehabilitation center, it was found that the kitchen had a huge stock of expired packaged food.
• Abusive behavior:
  A dead body found in front of a notable rehab showed the signs of physical abuse as it was filled with welt and burn marks. Other recovering addicts have admitted that they were beaten up by the authorities and made ton carry out janitorial duties “as part of the treatment”. The patients are forcefully fed pills and the authorities feed them medicine without informing them about what it is.
• Conducting incorrect ways of treatment:
  Most of the rehabs in Dhaka lack the understanding on how to treat the patients especially the unlicensed one who use different torturous methods on the patients. According to the Daily Star, “On February 6, 2016, 27-year-old Shariful Haque died of pneumonia after being given an ice bath treatment by the doctors of his drug rehabilitation centre in Pabna. Shariful was made to sit in an icebox filled with ice for up to five hours a day. The deceased was a computer science graduate from BUET. He was admitted to the rehab three months prior to his death.”
• Lack of proper health facilities for the patients:
  There are no doctors, nurses or psychologists available on the clock for the patients admitted in these rehabs. In case, someone gets hurt or falls really ill there are no facilities for them to get hospitalized. Even if the family members want to hospitalize the patients, they face backlash from the rehab authorities.

All these ineffective ways of treatment have a heavy psychological impact on the patients. It creates great distress and trauma among the recovering drug abusers who from fear of the authorities refuse to get further help. Some even go on to face an unfortunate relapse. These people require some other form of recovery like counselling from psychiatrist and family members, upon coming out of the rehabs.

The government has taken a great many initiated lately in combating the drug problem by capturing the drug dealers but there hasn’t been any effort from the government to look into the conditions of the recovering addicts. There is a lack of supervision and monitoring of the rehabilitation centers of the city. Along with that both the private and the public authorities should look into the condition of the available rehabs and shut them down if they are not providing a healthy space for recovery for the patients. They should also look into new scientific methods to treat the drug abusers.

• Recently, the government centre in Tejgaon along with seven other clinics are conducting a small project that has introduced a lesser known way of treating addicts, known as Opioid Substitution Therapy. This therapy injects a drug called methadone which has the same effects on the body as heroin but is a synthetic compound, naturally sourced from poppy flowers. It is given to addicts when their bodies go through withdrawal upon cutting off drug supply. Currently, only 1000 people who inject drugs are seeking this treatment.
• Bangladesh also required to facilitate the distribution of a life-saving drug naloxone that can save the lives of people who are overdosing on drugs.

Investment on the rehabs should be made to improve the living conditions of the patients by ensuring the availability of the basic facilities and public utilities. The methods used for the recovery by the authorities require testing and there should be a strict ban on using unprescribed methods where the patients are subject to torture.

There should be a healthy and positive environment around the drug abusers seeking treatment from these centers. They should be given proper support so that they can have the strength to come out of drugs and meet a health recovery. The problem is ingrained in our perception of drug addicts and most of us look at them as criminals not as recovering patients. Most of the people who go through a drug problem are young and still have a lot of potential. If they can be provided with a good treatment and support from their family members, friends and peers they can enter the society again, in the hopes of improving their lives. In order to see the country tackle with the drug problem, we need to at first address the recovery of the one who has already fallen victim to it and ensure their participation in the society, only then can be build a better future for the people in our city.

But as the opportunities have grown, so has numerous social problems. The root cause of which lies in the city’s failure to deal with over-population due to which the quality of life of the people has greatly deteriorated. The various social problems like environmental pollution air and water pollution, lack of proper sanitation and unplanned living space have altogether put a massive dent on the health of the city among which the mosquito problem in Dhaka has resurfaced in an alarming way.

The mosquito menace is an acute problem which plagues the city of Dhaka, affecting the public health through the transmission of different types of diseases like Dengue fever, Chikungunya, Malaria and Zika. Female mosquitoes suck blood upon human contact which is necessary for its reproduction.

• According to a research conducted by the Bangladesh Agricultural University, the number of female mosquitoes in Dhaka is significantly more than the male mosquitoes- Female Mosquitoes (77.6%) and Male mosquitoes (22.4%).
• Of 3000 species of mosquitoes found worldwide, only 113 species are found in Bangladesh.
• The rainy season is the peak breeding time for Aedes mosquitos, which are the primary bearer of deadly virus that causes dengue fever. The researchers at the DGHS’s disease control wing said they found the number of Aedes mosquito larvae higher than the expected level at 15 wards under Dhaka South City Corporation and seven under Dhaka North City Corporation.
• According to a report disease control section at the Directorate General of Health Services, until June 15 this year, 486 people have been diagnosed with dengue in Bangladesh, two of whom have died. The figure shot up by 72 in two days after that day. It was 428 until June 15 last year, including three fatalities.
• In 2017, a deadly chikungunya epidemic broke out it the city and according to the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), a total of 13,814 people were affected by it.

The main breeding places of these misquotes are dirty waterbodies like unclean ponds, ditches, drains, sewers that is wherever dirty water gathers, the mosquitoes find themselves a breeding ground. According to a survey, 2,700 bighas of waterbodies under the DNCC and DNSC have been found to be clogged with dirt and waste. The residents who live in the prime areas of Mirpur, Pallabi, Uttara, Adabor, Mohammadpur, Jatrabari, Mirhajirbagh, Kamragirchar, Manda, Mugda, Goran, Kathalbagan, Rampura, Badda, Gulshan and Banani are among the worst victims. Over the last two years, the situation has gotten so worse that even coils, aerosol and electric bats are not enough to get a permanent relief.

The problem is seemingly affecting both the areas under Dhaka North City Corporation and Dhaka South City Corporation but the residents under the DNCC are seemingly suffering the most from the issue. A report from last year shows that,

DSCC has 940 apparatuses for killing mosquitoes. Out of these,

• Out of these, 442 are handheld of which 2018 do not work
• 447 are foggers of which 186 are completely useless
• 51 are wheelbarrow machines and 16 only work partially

The DNCC has a total of 653 machines and over half of them do not work.

Amena Akter, a resident of Mirpur 11, said: “Recently the disturbance caused by mosquitoes has increased. It is very difficult to stay at home without mosquito coils and sprays. Moreover, I cannot use them all the time because they might harm my young children.” Kawsar Ahmad, a resident of Basabo Kadamtala area said he has not seen any attempt to control mosquitoes in his area over the past few months. “In the middle of last year, the DNCC authorities sprayed insecticide in this area regularly but the last 7-8 months I have not seen any fogger machine being used in this area,” he said.

Meanwhile, the southern regions of the DSCC areas are not free of the nuisance. Though the DSCC appointed individual supervisors in every ward to tackle the issue, due to irregular supervision, mosquito breeding has increased. Ayesha Akter, a resident of Tikatuli area said: “Nowadays the disturbance caused by mosquitoes has increased massively in our area. We cannot even think about sleeping without a mosquito net.” The cause of such difference is due to the budget allocated for both areas by the government:

• DNCC- Tk 20 crores in 2017-2018 fiscal year and Tk 21 crores in 2018-2019 fiscal year
• DNSC- Tk 25.60 crores in 2017-2018 fiscal year and Tk 26 crore in 2018-2019 fiscal year

Previously, the corporations had taken some major steps in tackling the problem. Some of these steps are-

• DSCC had its officials visit at least 50,000 houses to spread the awareness about Aedes mosquito.
• A project titled “Infect Wolbachia Transfection” has been specially taken up by the government’s Plant Protect Wind (PPT) to curb the population of the deadly Aides mosquito by planting a bacterium in areas where mosquitoes lay eggs, and this bacterium will create another kind of mosquito to counter the Aedes population.
• DNCC has taken major initiatives to spray insecticides in households and to apply larvicide in stagnant water and clean water hyacinths to combat the outbreak of mosquitoes-borne diseases .
• Both the corporations have employed 5-6 people to spray insecticides in every ward.

But currently, the due to lessening of the frequency of spraying and the deterioration of the quality of the insecticides, it is becoming difficult to curb the problem. The corporations are accused of using defective medicine which the authorities blame upon the shortage of required medicine supplies.

However, the authorities are aware of the situation now and has admitted to lack of proper monitoring and joint initiatives by the two corporations to be the main cause of their failure. DNCC Mayor Atiqul Islam said: “We will launch crash programs for mosquito eradication from the city and clean up the drainage system for the coming rainy season. Concerned authorities and councilors will try their level best to combat the mosquito menace.”

He further added, “I have asked the councillors to provide me with written suggestions to control the situation. We will also service drains within the next seven days. Workers need to perform their tasks properly for the issue to be resolved.”

While authorities are trying to look for new way to mitigate the problem, the general public should also share some responsibilities. The public must be aware about cleaning their gardens and rooftops, wherever mosquitoes reproduce. Without the joint efforts from both sides, this problem cannot be mitigated.

However, a city’s overall health cannot be measured only through the condition of the physical health of the public but also needs to take into account the state of their psychological well-being. Recreation plays a huge role in shaping one’s psychological health and the city has a huge responsibility to ensure proper recreational facilities like parks and playgrounds to its residents. As the saying goes- “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” it holds true for everyone. In the midst of classes and work, life becomes stressful and monotonous, making it necessary for people to relax and destress.

It works as a gateway from the everyday humdrum of the city- the noise pollution from the incessant honking of the vehicles in the roads, the black fumes and smokes from the automobiles and the stress from working tirelessly. One requires a break from all these, something that rejuvenates the mind and helps release stress. Nothing calms the mind as does open spaces like parks, where one can relax under the shadow of green trees or playgrounds where kids can run around free under the open sky.

But sadly, due to rapid growth of industrialization and advent of modern technology, parks and playgrounds are becoming obsolete.

• The Dhaka North and South City Corporations have around 60 playgrounds and parks under their combined jurisdiction. But most of them are off-limits. Among these 47 are parks and 13 are playgrounds.
• Some of the most visited parks in the city are Ramna Park, Chandrima Uddan, Shishu Park, Dhanmondi park, Gulshan Lake Park, National Botanical Garden. We also have amusement parks like the Wonderland located in Shyamoli and Jamuna Future Park in Bashundhara.
• Parks under cantonment which are not open to the general public.

The mentioned parks remain filled with mostly middle-aged men and women who go there to exercise. The rest of the day, the parks remain partially filled with young boys and girls, mostly students – some are seen to be walking around aimlessly, some are jogging, few are sitting on the benches- talking to one another. Food vendors set up vans that sells- Jhalmuri, Bhelpuri, nuts, etc. The pestering of beggars and Hijras, who find an audience of people to nag for money from is a common scenario of the parks and playgrounds in Dhaka.

But, with the rapid growth of industrialization, the number of open spaces has decreased manifold, as has the condition of the existing parks. Most of the available open spaces are occupied by private landowners or they are used by the government to make new buildings. Among the parks available, few of them are off-limits to the general public. The condition of others is very poor- they lack proper sitting arrangements, sufficient lighting and adequate waste bins. The floors are scattered with garbage, the fumes from the roads and the stench from open drain pollute the environment of these parks. Lack of proper maintenance is the root cause behind such a sorry state of the parks.

Moreover, the advent of modern technology has our whole generation in its clutches as smartphones have replaced every other mediums of recreation. People no longer visit parks, go to the zoo or play outside rather they spend hours mindlessly scrolling through social media platforms. Other recreational activities consist of watching tv or playing computer games. Due their inclination towards activities that restricts their physical movement and lack of exercise, the mode of recreation does more harm than it benefits. On a lighter note, some youngsters still play cricket and football outside in the evening due to the presence of a number of spacious fields in the city.

As the practice of visiting parks have died down, people have found solace in either swiping through their phones or eating out in restaurants. It is quite normal as Dhaka does not have any proper recreational facility. But the consequences of this is quite harrowing-

• Obesity and other diseases:

The younger generation due to lack of proper recreational facilities spend a lot of time hanging out with their friends in restaurants and cafes or they sit around at home, playing video games together. The lack of regular movement leads to obesity and other cardiovascular diseases.

• Neurological problem:

Lack of physical movement leads to many neurological problems along with lower attention span and depression. Too much screen time also puts a huge amount of pressure on the optical nerve, causing people to develop eyesight problems.

• Depression and anxiety:

Parks and playgrounds provide the space for free movement and exercise which is much needed for the body and the mind. With no sufficient recreational facilities, people have nothing to do. This leads to depression and anxiety, prompting drug abuse and crime.

According to a report by Work for Better Bangladesh Trust (WBB), the majority of open spaces in Dhaka are used by government agencies and private organizations, limiting public access. Another survey which was conducted with 374 people revealed that 60% of them had visited their nearest park in the past, but that a shocking two out of every five people (39%) said they had never visited any. These surveys show that Dhaka city does not have sufficient parks with proper public utilities. Dhaka’s development plan recommends an average of at least 0.052 square metres of parks and 0.5 square metres of open green spaces per person, although the World Health Organization (WHO) and Leadership in Energy Environmental for Neighborhood Design recommend nine and 20 square metres respectively. Even though, in 2000, the government enacted a law to maintain playgrounds, open spaces, parks and natural water bodies in municipal areas, but the law is hardly enforced. The much-talked-about master plan for the capital supposedly has clear direction on reclaiming public parks and restoring water bodies, but the authorities have not been sincere about its implementation.

Moreover, the parks in Dhaka city are noisy and lacks proper lighting, water supply, waste disposal, sanitation, and walkways. If the government invests in these aspects, people are going to start visiting parks more. The people of the city are suffering from different mental health issues which needs to be properly addressed by the authorities. If there were sufficient recreational facilities available like swimming pools, tennis courts, outdoor activities, the young generation will spend more time with friends and families and won’t go astray. They will have a better hold on their mental health, balancing the body and mind. With access to more open spaces, people are going to become more active- they will walk and jog more and children will get to play cricket and football to their heart’s content. It will help the people to manage stress and enjoy life a lot more.

A city’s health depends on both the physical and the psychological well-being of its people. Without combating the mosquito problem, the physical health of the people cannot be improved and without sufficient recreational facilities for the children and the youth, their psychological well-being cannot be ensured. Only when the quality of life of the public is improved, can they drive the city to its best potential and bring about great changes in the city.

An Interesting take on the topic:

Bangladesh is currently advancing towards antibiotic resistance problem, which is a worldwide problem owing to the misuse and overuse of anti-biotics, causing them to lose their effectiveness in humans and on animals.

According to Poribesh Bachao Andolon (PoBa), about 56% of the anti-biotics prescribed to the patients don’t work. Due to consumption of unchecked dosage of antibiotics along with feeding on poultry and fish which are fed antibiotics, all lead to low response to different infections and viruses. According to Dr. Sayedur Rahman of Pharmacology Department of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), “The irrational use of antibiotics in humans, little awareness among people ad drug sellers, a weak surveillance process and a dearth of information about the health situation in the country are contributing to the spread this antimicrobial resistance (AMR) problem.” The bacteria will evolve and refuse to go back to its previous stage if the antibiotics don’t work. Hence, there needs to be way to tackle this problem otherwise by the year 2050, there will be a rise in AMR, leading to the death of almost 10 million people.

Damp walls and filthy floors, garbage lying everywhere with nausea invoking stench description of a typical public toilet in Dhaka does not paint an appealing picture in the head but the alternative is to either hold it in for hours till you go home or take it to the streets- as most of the people in the city are resorted to. The former holds true for the women and disabled people who have to hold their bladders until they find a cleaner place to relieve themselves, which is in most cases their home, which makes them susceptible to different kinds of diseases.

The public toilet is a basic utility that has a major connection with public health and the quality of life. For almost 9 million people residing in a city, there are only 76 public toilets in Dhaka.

• 21 are located in Dhaka North City Corporation
• 55 in Dhaka South City Corporation

With such a small number of toilets available to the people, their poor condition makes it worse. According to a survey, jointly carried out by Action BD and UK Aid,

• More than 90% of the public toilets are unusable
• 96% of these are unsafe
• 54% lacks proper sanitation facilities and
• 91.5% are unhygienic and dirty

The cost of using these toilets range from 5 to 15 taka. It is observed that in the peak hours of 2 pm to 10 pm, the public use these toilets the most. It is not surprising that during these hours, the number of men visiting the toilets is around 200-250 and the number of women is 25-30. Evidently, the situation is worse for women as public toilets in Dhaka are usable only to those who are courageous enough to venture into the dungeons of filth.

Dhaka faces a huge challenge when it comes to modern and user-friendly standard public toilets in several spaces all over the city. This leaves the general public to avoid using restrooms for longer hours, holding in their bladders until they find a cleaner toilet- in most cases that is after they go home. The alternate is to relieve oneself at any corner of the streetwhich is clearly worse as it pollutes the sanitization of the city and creates a very unhygienic condition. Here are some of the reasons behind this condition-

• Lack of space – The roads in the city does not have enough space to hold public toilets due to the exclusion of toilets in the main architectural plans for places like Gas stations, parks, shopping malls, commercial zones etc. This results in people relieving themselves in some corner of the street- open drains, garbage dumps, under the footbridge.
• Poor Management – The condition of the already existing toilets is very poor. The floors are damp, filthy and scattered with garbage. It also gives off a gut-wrenching stench. There are no soaps, toilet tissues or clean slippers for the public either. Even if the toilets are supplied such amenities, due to lack of proper supervision and security cameras, these items often get stolen by the people. In some areas, bathrooms are under lock and key while few are completely out of order.
• Unsuitable for women and disabled people- It has been found in a recent survey that 80% women avoid drinking water before leaving the house so that they don’t have to use public toilets. They have to hold it in for longer hours due to lack of proper facilities for women and delaying urination is a major cause of urinary tract infection (UTI). It also leads to kidney problems., headaches and other urinary diseases. For disabled people, there are no facilities whatsoever when it comes to public toilets.
• Requires smooth water supply- Another major challenge is the lack of smooth water supply in the toilets. Due to poor management by the government water suppliers and use of age-old pipes, the taps in many public toilets don’t seem to be working. Few of the taps supply unclean water which gives of bad smell, rendering it useless.
• Lack of designated cleaners- The sorry state of the public toilets entails the lack of regular and thorough cleaning. As there are no designated cleaners, the toilets in the streets, stations and pumps are in disgusting conditions. Even if there are cleaners assigned to clean the toilet regularly, due to lack of monitoring and their total disregard for toilets, the toilets remain unclean for days. This is widely observed in public hospitals and educational institutions.
• Neglected Slums- Even though there is some form of facility for the general people in the city to relieve themselves, the slums are completely neglected. These areas have no proper toilets and the people are resorted to use open, makeshift latrines where the pollutants get mixed with drinking water, causing the transmission of various deadly diseases.

It not only threatens the health of the public, it highly affects the social lives. Rickshaw pullers and CNG and bus drivers are often in a hurry and they therefore find it easier to relieve themselves in the streets. It causes the road sides to give off horrible stenches, making it difficult for the pedestrians to walk about. And the people who use these unclean public toilets with deplorable unhygienic quality the most, they are susceptible to diseases like cholera, Diarrhoea, Dysentry, Hepatits A, Typhoid.

The government is investing tons of money on the expansion of urbanization but failing miserably in fulfilling one of the basic necessities of the public- toilets. But due the exacerbating condition of the public toilets and people taking to the streets, the situation has somewhat met the eyes of the government, prompting the following plans and tactics-

• In 2015, when the situation become uncontrollable, the Ministry of Religious Affairs had to launch a campaign putting up notices in Arabic for the sake of piety to prevent public urination.
• The city Corporation has partnered with WaterAid to upgrade several public toilets with facilities and furnishing to give a modern setting.
• Bhumijo, a social enterprise that works to upgrade the quality of public toilets has installed a remarkable toilet for the dedicated use of women in Gawsia Market’s Noor Mansion.
• Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) proposed to refurbish some public toilets that maintains five-star hotel standards, that will provide clean water, soap, tissue paper and towels.
• There are 21 public toilets in operation right now among which WaterAid and DNCC has jointly set up 18 toilets, the world Toilet Association and DNCC jointly set up 2 and DNCC has built one on its own.
• WaterAid and DSCC jointly installed 9 toilets in different areas. According to the Jol Sobuj Project, they are planning to build another 31 public toilets. Eventually, the DSCC will provide 89 public toilets.
• Both the corporations plan to set up 100 public toilets in two years, among which 53 will be ready by 2019. They have also planned to install one public toilet in every park.

Public toilets are a taboo in our country and hence people don’t address their needs out of sheer shame but it is creating immense problems in the lives of the people. Therefore, if both the government and the people don’t change their perception about public toilets, we cannot change the situation in many years. For sanitary issues, there requires high commodes and cleaning kits for the better usability of the people. The government needs to take proper steps by addressing these needs when creating a budget, allocating a sperate cost for these requirements. Moreover, public awareness about sanitization is also required to stop them from relieving themselves in the streets.

The availability of clean public toilets is related to the quality of people’s lives in the city. The general public has to spend several hours in the road everyday due to severe traffic congestion. Without public toilets, it becomes tremendously difficult for the people especially the women to empty their bladders which leads to many health hazards. In order to ensure the betterment of the people’s lives, the government needs to install clean public toilets in all the public places including hospitals, educational institutions, gas stations, petrol pumps, food courts, markets, etc. It is important to keep in mind that public toilets are a necessity, not a luxury.

An interesting take on the topic:

Ahmed Aziz, a student of Dhaka University who like almost everyone has to spend a lot of time in the roads, on his way from University to his student’s house says, “To be honest, the issue regarding the lack of public toilets is completely neglected and I don’t expect good change in a long time. I just visit the restrooms in different restaurants if there is an emergency.” He further adds, “Public toilets are always filthy, compared to that a mini trip to a restaurant or café isn’t all that bad.”

Tahrima Rahman, a 30-year-old woman working for an NGO in Dhaka shares, “From a very young age, I have been working in different private and public institutions- none of which had access to proper public toilets. They were extremely filthy and unhygienic, so I resorted to holding my bladder most of the time. I never thought it to be a big deal but sadly due to this tendency of mine, I have been suffering from a rare urinal disease which has led my body to an inability to produce children.”

Although, with the increase in population, the city is being plagued by several socio-economic problems. It is leading to unplanned living conditions, unavoidable traffic congestion, the huge number of vehicles on the roads, footpaths occupied by hawkers- all together these problems stemming from over-population has made the movement of the people in the city very difficult.

One of the many consequences of these problems is the road safety issue in Dhaka. Dhaka faces several accidents every day due to lack of safety laws. It causes a person to lose their life and, in many cases, severe physical injury traumatizing a person for the rest of their lives. To understand the severity of the situation, we need to look at the comparative data that shows the increase in the number of accidents starting from 2009 to 2018 in Bangladesh.

• According to data compiled by Accident Research Institute (ARI) of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), Bangladesh witnessed a total of 789 road crashes that left 1,049 people dead and 2,015 injured from January to March in 2018, among these 57 road accidents occurred in Dhaka, taking 59 lives and injuring 115 people.

According to a survey, among these accidents, 40% was caused by different vehicles, whereas 60% of the cases indicate that the pedestrians are to be blamed.

A survey report shows that, about 72% of total casualties of pedestrians are fatal whereas only 2% of them take simple hit. That means 98% people either dies or end up being in the hospital.

Although, the primary causes behind these accidents occur due to reckless driving by unskillful drivers, faulty vehicles and pedestrians violating traffic rules.

• On roads, 41.53 percent of the incidents involved vehicles running over people, 16.18 percent of vehicles falling into ditches and 29.72 percent of collisions.
• . According to latest data from Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), there are over 3.5 million registered vehicles in the country, but valid licenses have been issued to only 2.6 million drivers.
• Bangladesh Passenger Welfare Association (BPWA), a campaigner for safe roads, claims there are around 1.5 million illegal vehicles in addition to registered vehicles, which means there could be over 2.4 million legal and illegal vehicles being driven by unqualified drivers who are putting their own lives along with those of a large number of people at risk.
• According to a BPWA report published in April this year, over 77% drivers in Bangladesh do not have driving licenses. The Jatri Kalyan Samity said at least 87% of public transport drivers in the city drive recklessly and violate traffic law.

These accidents happen throughout the city but, it was established through a survey that about 40.90% accidents occur in Bus-Stands, 28.40% in Bazars, 17.80% in road-intersections and 13% in other areas. According to Accident Research Institute (ARI) who collected and organized all the data from police FIRs on the 54 intersections reveal

• Jasimuddin Road is the deadliest of all which is responsible for 24 accidents.
• Farmgate and Kakoli comes close with 19 and 18 accidents respectively.
• Saidabad and Jasim-Uddin Road crossing caused 16 and 17 deaths in this period on which pedestrian fatality is 14 and 16 respectively.
• Jatrabari, Saidabad and Jasim-Uddin Road has the highest percentages of pedestrian fatality where Joar Sahara and Progoti Sarani has the lowest percentage.
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From the aforementioned figures, we can infer upon the condition of road safety in the city. It not only is increasing the death toll but also pushing the country towards heavy loss as the estimated economic loss from these accidents reaches Tk40,000 crore annually, which is 2% to 3% of Bangladesh’s GDP. There are some key causes that needs to be addressed in order to tackle the problem. The root causes behind these road accidents are-

• Reckless Driving: Most of the drivers who are behind the wheels are untrained, unlicensed or underage. Due to lack of proper training facilities, failure in the appointment 5 system of the drivers and checking on the cars fitness certificate all lead to road accidents.
• Violation of traffic rules: The residents of the city, be it the drivers or the pedestrians all violate traffic rules. The cars overtake each other, does not follow signals, rickshaws move in opposite lanes or make several lines in a narrow road and motorcycles take to the footpaths, all prompting heavy traffic and accidents.
• Violation of safety rules: People in this city carelessly move around in the streets- lack of helmets while driving the motorcycle, refusing to wear seat-belts and pedestrians directly cross main roads instead of using the foot-over bridges.
• Lack of public transport: Due to the lack of accessible public transportation system, the number of different types of vehicles have increased- CNGS, Buses, Taxi, Rickshaw, Motorcycles and personal cars. The roads become chaotic with heavy traffic and thousands of pedestrians which at some point causes accidents.
• Roads are not pedestrian-friendly: In most places of the city, the roads are under-developed and unplanned. They are not at all pedestrian-friendly- Footpaths flooded with hawkers, increasing number of transports, no zebra crossings- all make it difficult for the pedestrians to move around in the streets. This at times, leads to road accidents.
•  

When two college students died due to a horrific road accident in July 29th 2018, there was an outrage among the students of the capital who launched the Nirapad Sarak Movement, took to the streets and demanded safe roads. In the wake of this movement, the government has been keen on setting proper road safety laws in the city. The road ordinance law of 1983 which underwent many changes over the year, decreasing the penalty has been replaced by the Road Transport Act of 2018.

• The new law is introducing specific guidelines on the minimum age and academic qualifications for drivers, number of vehicles on a particular route, working hours for drivers and helpers of buses, trucks, covered vans and other vehicles, compensation for road crash victims, emergency helpline, and more, which are not included in the existing law.
• According to the new law, the maximum fine for breaking traffic rules is Tk6,000 as opposed to Tk500 in the old, traffic police officials should ensure that they charge heavy fines of at least Tk1,000-2,000 to press home the severity of the situation.
• The drivers must have education not below eighth grade, and nobody will be allowed to drive vehicles without license.
• A person must be at least 18 to get a driving license and 21 to get a professional license.
• The draft has a provision of keeping 12 points for a driver. And the driver will lose points for committing offences. When the points come down to zero, the driver’s license will be cancelled. According to the draft, a driver will lose points for nine types of offenses, including drunk driving, illegal overtaking, reckless and dangerous driving, and violation of traffic signals and speed limits.
•  

Other than this, the government has declared 22nd October as the National Road Safety Day. Moreover, the prime minister has given directives to ensure drivers’ rest every five hours, to introduce alternate drivers for long distance transports, training facilities for drivers and their assistants, use of seatbelts while travelling as well as going by traffic signals.

Road Safety covers one of the eleven goals in SDG, which plans on providing access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transportation system for all. This along with the zeal of the students who instigated the city to be more aware about traffic rules and road safety, gives us a little hope.

Although, without the joint efforts by the government, the authorities and the city dwellers the problem cannot be solved. Through development of the traffic system, introduction to mass transportation and promotion of safety laws, can there be sufficient changes in the system. More manpower is required in banning local transports on highways, unlawful car parking and footpath occupancy. The city dwellers need to carry out proper management of roads and transports. Automobile company authorities need to filter through unskillful drivers and only good drivers should attain licenses. Highway polices should be provided with better training and a proper speed limit is to be followed.

Road accidents cause death and damages properties, which has become a deadly phenomenon in Bangladesh- reflecting heavily on the state of the capital city. The condition has become so acute that the everyday death of a number of people due to road accidents has become a normal phenomenon. The pain and hardship caused by these accidents are only fathomable by people who go through it. We need to understand that one of these days, it could be us or one of our relatives, what then? So, in order to live in a better city, we need to do better. It is our responsibility to help the government to come up with better solutions for a safer Dhaka.

Compared to the preceding years, we have made a decent progress in establishing clean drinking water. However, in many areas like densely populated residential areas, slums and unplanned urban settings, a proper water supply is unavailable which together with unplanned sanitation and poor hygiene poses a major threat to public health in Dhaka. The capital has demand for 2.35 billion litres of safe water, according to the information provided by the local government minister last year. Dhaka WASA has a capacity to pump up 2.45 billion litres of water. At least 1.7 billion litres of water are pumped up through deep tube-wells of WASA while another 6 million litres of water is supplied from Buriganga and Shitalakkhya rivers through treating them in five water treatment plants.

Dhaka supplies water 22.5 hours per day and most of the water is supplied by the sole water supplier Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (WASA), an autonomous commercial organization in the public sector. It covers more than 360 sq. km service area with 12.5 million people with a production of almost 2110 million liters per day (MLD). At present the service area of Dhaka WASA extended to Mirpur and Uttara in the North and to Narayanganj in the South. At present 87% of the supplied water is from ground water abstraction from Dhaka WASA’s 900 deep tube wells. The remaining 13% water comes from surface water treatments.

Other sources of drinking water supply are:

1. Piped water supply in household premises which requires sustainable improvement in service levels. They comprise of

• -23% piped inside dwelling
• -8% piped outside dwelling

2. Tube wells with hand pumps, sunk by water utilities, local government and private household. But the quality of well water at times are found to be contaminated with arsenic and bacteria.

The current challenged faced by the city is the decrease in the ground water which has decreased 2 to 3 meters in the last few years, which requires effective rain water harvesting to be recharged. That leaves water supply from surface water bodies which are unfortunately filled with high level of contaminations. The water brought to the city dwellers’ homes through a network of 60,000km supply lines where 36,000km of which are derelict 150 year old pipes. So far the govt. has replaced 24,000km of the pipeline networks and the 40% of the 24 water gets contaminated through the pipeline delivery network and in private reservoirs claimed by WASA MD.

When the water contains arsenic and pathogens such as Salmonella spp, Shigella spp, Vibrio cholerae and E. coli bacteria, it can be termed as contaminated water. Even though, 95% of the population of Bangladesh has access to clean water, 80 % of the water contains E. coli. There are more causes working behind the existence of the unclean and contaminated water supply.

• Extraction of groundwater
• One of the major sources of water comes from a man-made process which provides us with “Technologically-improved water”. The process involves extraction of groundwater which at times contain high levels of arsenic. Pathogens being shed in human and animal feces find their way to groundwater through seepage from sewages.

• Contamination of Natural Water Resources The reason we have resorted to groundwater is due to the contamination of all out natural water resources. The chemical waste from the mills and factories that are dumped on water, contaminates it as a result of which most of our rivers are dead.

• Lack of proper waste management Even though most of the urban population are well-aware of public health and sanitization. Slums in Dhaka have poor sanitation facilities and waste management. Defecation on open areas and around water bodies, unplanned routes of disposing waste contaminates the water bodies completely.

With all these limitations, a great responsibility befalls upon to the concerning authority. But a major dissatisfaction from the people residing in certain areas like Jurain, Dania, Goran, Badda, Muradpur, Shyampur, Malibag, Madartek, Banashree, Mirpur, Pallabi, Kazipara, Sadarghat have brought the following facts into light- According to TIB (Transparency International Bangladesh),

– 51.5% of all Dhaka WASA consumers in the capital reported the water they receive to be filthy.
– 41.4% complained that their water smelled bad
– 34.5% of WASA users think that they supply poor quality water all year round – People have to burn 332.37tk crore worth of gas every year to boil Dhaka WASA water in order to make it consumable.
– 24.6% consumers affected by water borne diseases – 62% DWASA users face corruption, irregularities

In a research, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) found that almost 97 percent of the drinking water in jars used mostly in offices and restaurants contain ‘coliform bacteria’, 25 a germ commonly found in human and animal feces. Cases have been reported where WASA water has been directly filled in jars and sold. In many cases, people boil water before drinking although it does not help always and cause waterborne diseases. Many of the residents have opted to use water purifiers. Some of them boil water before putting in purifiers for their satisfaction. However, they are not confident about the effectiveness of the water purifiers.

Drinking contaminated water is the cause behind most of the intestinal diseases which at times even lead to malnutrition in children, stunting them and limiting their ability to grow. Even though children are more susceptible to diseases caused by drinking unsafe water, it has many health effects on adults as well. Drinking tap water, street food, tea from tea-stalls which at times use impurified and unfiltered water causes the following diseases.

• Waterborne diseases like Diarrhea, Dysentery
• Intestinal Infections
• Typhoid, Cholera, Polio

Dr Azharul Islam, the chief physician of hospitals at icddr,b , told a leading newspaper that there were about 800-900 patients every day this April, and 650-750 in May this year which a common cause of Diarrhea . Preventing Diarrhea is very difficult if people do not have access to safe water. He blamed WASA for not being able to provide fresh and drinkable water. “I do not know if the WASA provides clean water from their end, but the water clearly gets contaminated, or polluted, by the time consumers receive it,” Dr Azhar said, it is important for people to filter, boil or use other water purification processes before drinking it. A collective conscious initiative being taken by authorities and concerns such as;

• The National Strategy for Water Supply and Sanitation The Bangladesh Government has introduced this tragedy that will promote supply of safe water in national, regional and local levels through WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) interventions, emerging challenges and Sector Governance.
• In 2019, Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution has set up 39 mobile courts across Dhaka to check illegal water bottling and it has found 32 unauthorized water bolting facilities during the raids. BSTI jailed 70 persons and fined them Tk 54,70,000.
• The platform, named WASA Nirapod Pani Andolon has made a 5- point demand to Dhak WASA following their ongoing fiasco regarding the supply of unclean water. The demands include: supplying clean water everywhere; compensating people who have fallen sick after consuming the dirty water; reimbursing bills paid for the polluted water; investigating the reason for Dhaka WASA’s inefficiency; and resignation of the Dhaka WASA MD if he fails to fulfill his responsibilities.

Water is the most important element required for one to survive. Therefore, if a city fails to address the problems related to safe drinking water, it will become difficult for the growing population to function. The sorry state of WASA and the imminent dearth of clean drinking water indicates the need to clean our river so that we don’t have to depend on mad made ways to access clear drinking water. Moreover, with general public awareness, we can direct the population to avoid drinking water without purifying it.

If the government doesn’t take initiative to improve the water distribution system by changing the old and rusty pipelines, half of the population will remain exposed to contaminated water. Moreover, most of the companies and agencies that sell mineral water require thorough monitoring of its pure water content. Otherwise, very soon safe and clean water will become a luxury for us.

An interesting take on the topic:

Joyonto Chattyapaddhay, a 19-year-old boy who spends a daily 6 hours in the field practicing cricket, talks about the crisis of safe drinking water. “I am trying to qualify for the national team and hence I spend half the day in the field. Every day, I have to carry 5 liters of water as I get really strained in the field while practicing. The tragedy is if I had access to safe water in the fields or in the shops around the field, wouldn’t have to carry such a heavy jar around.” He also added, “I used to drink water from the local shops here but within two months, I came down with Jaundice which had me lag behind my practice.”

So, for a city bustling with people who love to eat, food adulteration and contamination hits home. According to an estimate by the WHO, every year 2.2 million people in Bangladesh die due to food borne and air-borne diseases, among which 1.9 million are children. There has been 501 hospital visits per day this year, due to diseases as such found out in a survey by the ICDDR,B.

A massive shock engulfed the city of Dhaka upon the discovery of the degree of contamination in the food susbtances- brick dust in chili, sawdust in loose tea, tar, coal and textile dyes in sweetmeats and detergent in milk. Preservatives and pesticides on every day food items, even on baby food (Salmonella Agona Bacteria) entails on the condition of food safety in the city. Very recently the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution has found signs of contamination in 53 food items supplied by 42 firms including several leading food processors such as ACI Ltd, Molla Salt (Triple Refined) Industry Ltd, Pran-RFL Group, Meghna Group of Industries, City Group, Bangladesh Edible Oil Ltd, Danish Food Limited and Well Food and Beverage Company. Affected were a variety of food including daily essentials like salt, turmeric, chilli powder and also oil, flour, noodles, ghee, biscuits, etc. In order to understand the threat of food safety on the basis of the current scenario, we need to dig deeper into the details on food adulteration and contamination.

Food becomes adulterated when upon addition of certain substances, the natural composition and quality of the food is altered making is sub-standard or unsafe for consumption. Chemicals such as fertilizers, hormones, steroids, antibiotics, gelling agents are added to different food substances to give it a fresh appearance.

• Preservatives to make the food appear fresh: A chemical substance known as Formalin (a solution of 37% Formaldehyde) is quite famous in this category among the local food suppliers in Dhaka. The substance is well known for the preservation of human corpse. Evidently, injecting this substance heavily on fruits, vegetables, poultry, meat, fish, milk, etc. will definitely wreak havoc in the human condition. Moro so after it was discovered that formalin has carcinogenic substances, which can precipitate cancer.
• Ripening agents Calcium Carbide is used extensively to ripen fruits and vegetables.
• Food colors: To make the food look more appealing- brighter and colorful, poisonous coloring agents like auramine, Rhodomine b, Malachite green, Yellow g, Allura red and Sudan Red are applied on food. Other agents such as chrome, tartizine and erythrosine are heavily used in spices, juices, sauces, lentils and oils.

Here is a chart of the various kinds of diseases contracted when chemicals from the contaminated food substances enter the human body.

There are many causes which has driven the quality of food in the city down the drain. While behind this decrease in quality, there are malicious reasons at play but other big reasons also have a big role to play here.

• Production Practices Farmers often use different types of chemicals to drive away pests and insects on the farm without the knowledge of how harmful these pesticides are. Due to lack of awareness, less toxic alternatives and sufficient agro-based knowledge, this becomes the fate of the food that we consume.
• Corruption and Fraud The biggest reason behind the contamination of food substance is the corruption and fraud by the food suppliers- both local and national. They are the ones who tamper with the quality of food- adding chemicals, preservatives to the food altering the way it looks. Labelling and packaging food with the wrong expiry date all fall under the umbrella of food corruption.
• Food Management Before the packaging, the food changes hand many a times. In different places, the process does not follow sanitary means- not wearing gloves or using unclean water all entails the lack of a proper food management system. The food industry is in a dire need of investing on cold chains, means of preservation and packaging.

In restaurants and other eateries, the adulteration of foods and ingredients is highly noticeable. The condition of the kitchen, food stock, spices etc. is On top of these causes, lack of proper and regular monitoring by the government is exacerbating the condition, posing a great threat to public health. Here are some of the policies and acts that exist to tackle the problem of food adulteration:

• The Parliament passed the country’s first consumer protection law in 2009 and food safety act 2013, covering food safety and security.
• The establishment of Food Safety Authority (BFSA) and Bangladesh Food Safety Laboratory Network on 2nd February, 2015
• The formation of Fight against the food adulteration
• Declaration of the 2nd of February as the National Food Safety Day

Under the Food Safety Act, 2013, 2,345 Mobile courts run by executive magistrate has sentenced 239 people to imprisonment and fined more than Tk2 crores from July 2017 to June 2018. A total of 4,209 cases were filed against the offenders, according to BSFA. They also operated 18 mobile courts, convicted 27 people and imposed fines amounting to Tk 84 lakh. A total of 160 regular cases filed under the law in 2018 for violating the law.

Although the government introduced many a policy and acts to ensure the safety of food, the recent events of heavy adulteration of food in the city has pushed the government to take a severe approach. It has begun a thorough inspection of food courts and the quality of food that they serve, emphasizing on their hygiene quotient through an elusive grading system. By using colored stickers- Green, blue, yellow and orange- symbolizing the grades A+, A, B+ and C respectively the restaurants are to be inspected.

• 90 points or above- Green Sticker (Excellent)
• 80-89 points- Blue Sticker (Good)
• 60-79 points- Yellow Sticker (Average)
• Below 60 – Orange Sticker (Pending grade) *

*The pending grade is given to restaurants are given a notice to improve their condition before their grades are reviewed, otherwise they shut it down. The government can take more initiatives like this to inspect not only into restaurants but also on other food producing areas, trade license to produce items shouldn’t be given to just anyone. If there were more people engaged in organic farming (Places like Probortona, Dhaka dough sell organic food substances) strict rules to maintain the standard and heavy penalties upon contamination of food, the problem can be abated more easily.

Now that the general population are more aware of what is going around them, they will be more conscious of what to eat. But that is not enough, campaigns should be promoted in demand of food safety laws. Hundreds of people are getting sick every day, the number of cancer patients are going through the roof, people are losing more money on treatments and the government is facing more loss on the food industry. In a city, if the children can’t get proper nutrition and the people are regularly inflicted by diseases caused by the food that they consume here, how can we expect the city to move forward?

An Interesting take on the topic:

Nurun Nahar, a school teacher and a mother of two shares her experience on the matter, “I have to work 10 hours everyday and can barely manage time to cook for my children. Hence, I used to heavily depend on frozen processed food when it came to providing tiffin for my children but then I noticed how frequently they were falling ill. The same time around, I read up on how most of the food in Dhaka gets adulterated. I have immediately switched to organic food but sometimes, when I have to consume fruits and vegetables from the local market, I try to wash them for a long time in salt water and I always advise my children to never chew on the bones of farmed animals”

There have been tremendous developments in business and commerce with the rapid growth in industrialization, creating opportunities for the common people. While big businesses provide employment opportunities to people from a rather well-off background, the small business sector is limited to the lesser fortunate, lower class people. When natural calamities, landlessness and lack of earning opportunities push the rural people towards absolute poverty, these poor people move to cities, where hawking in the street is one of the most popular economic activities, occupying a niche market in the small business sector. The Hawkers due to their lack of formal education, provide various services to the city dwellers by providing commodities at a cheap rate. They set up shop on the footpaths making it easier for buyers who don’t have to go through the hassle of going to shopping malls to get a certain commodity. As this service is almost indispensable, the hawkers appear throughout the city.

• According to the Dhaka City Corporation‟s estimate there were around 90,000 street hawkers in the city, but in practice this figure is more than 300,000 (Islam. 2007). According to the fiveyear-long statistics of the Chainnamul Hawker Samity, the total number of hawkers in the country is 27 lakh and there are about 1.3 lakh 7around 70,000 seasonal hawkers.

During the survey following reasons were identified as main consequences behind their involvement in hawking profession:

Table 1: Educational status of street vendors

About 42% respondents of street vendors completed their secondary education and 8% had no education where 5% vendors were graduated even. It was found that no one had the degree of post graduate.

Table 2: Range of monthly average income of street vendors

• It is clear from the Table that, most of the vendors’ monthly income is from 6,000 to 10,000 (31%) as most of them belong to average monthly income. Majority of the street vendors are found as poor class people with lower standard of living. Though they work hard, their income is not sufficient to lead their life smoothly. A very few of them earn at a satisfactory level.
• It has been observed that in a typical month a food vendor earns about tk. 4,105 (without investment in business), a newspaper/book vendor earns tk.1826, a consumer product vendor earns Tk1,256, a jewelry item vendor earns tk. 1,140, a flower vendor earns 1025 and other/s earn tk. 2,280 from vending.
• The expenditure of a mobile food vendor is near about tk. 2,887 for a typical month, in which s/he expends tk. 1000 for his/her own food and business purpose, and the rest is for other family expenditure. A newspaper/book vendor expends about tk. 1295 for each month. A very mobile consumer product vendor can expend hardly tk. 891 without investment of his/her business. A jewelry item vendor’s monthly average expenditure is approximately Tk. 809 as well as flower vendors are tk. 726. Other types expend on average tk. 1,608 by vending.

The customer base of the hawkers consists of people of lower, lower-middle class and middleclass background. Housewives, working men and women, students who get access to items required for everyday use. Again, day laborers, rickshaw pullers, bachelors depend on street food vendors who provide different types of food at a low price- which influx the streets with Jhalmuriwalas, Bhelpuriwalas and Fuchkawalas.

But unfortunately, this business faces a huge loss due to the menacing practice of extortion. A group of men, called “Linemen” consisting of local gang leader extort money from hawkers in return of which the hawkers get to set up their shops. Then this hefty amount gets divided among a number of local leaders, police officials, administrative officers and leaders of the ruling party.

According to the Leaders Association of the city,

• Around 35 lack shops are put up in the footpaths of the city, where the roadside hawkers have to pay 3 crore taka a day.
• Hawkers pay 50 takas to 500 taka per day depending on the size and location of their stall.
• A total of 4500-5000 shops are set up every day.
• The highest number of hawkers can be found in the prime locations of Gulistan, Baitul Mukarram, Paltan, Motijheel, Dainik Bangla intersection, Golap Shah mazar, New market area, Zero point, Bangabandhu Avenue, Phulbaria.
• Extortion continues from the peak hours of 8 am in the morning to 8 pm at night.
• 3.500 shops in Gulistan, Baitul Mukarram and Paltan areas pay 28 lack Taka in extort money in a day.
• The amount of money extorted rises during Eid. For example, on the footpaths of Mirpur-1 and Mirpur 10, a hawker pays the “Linemen”, Tk 200 to Tk 600 ahead of Eid which is Tk 100 to Tk 300.
• A recent advertisement shows that, renting a ground floor unit of 5,500 square-foot at Gulshan 2 costs Tk1,500,000 per month –i.e. Tk273 per square-foot where tenants can enjoy security, necessary facilities, utility connections etc. But hawkers end up paying Tk1812 per square-foot, which is seven times higher, while receiving none of the benefits from commercial spaces.

Even though, this is the only source of income for this illiterate and unskilled labor force, hawking creates a negative impact on the city. Hawkers who set up shop in the footpaths, pavements and the underpasses of markets not only hinders the smooth movement of vehicles and pedestrians but also brings to the light the problem of extortion. The vendors are seen to occupy a large amount of space in the streets of the city which narrows down the main roads, making it highly uncomfortable for pedestrians. The presence of many shops scattered throughout the streets, congest the area with cars, restricting movement of the vehicles. This acts as a catalyst for traffic jams and also causes many roadside accidents. But it does not concern the common people only but also highly affect the hawkers themselves. Their overall income decreases after paying up the extortion money. The pressure from the government and the extortionists, leaves the hawkers with no other ways of earning a livelihood. Abu Taher- a local vendor, seated in front of the Agrani Bank says “What can we do? We have to make a living! We just run away when we see police coming our way.”

• Both Dhaka North and Dhaka South city authorities have been quite strict about removing the footpaths and the streets from hawkers and street vendors since 2015. Shortly after the city corporations’ elections in Dhaka, Dhaka South Mayor Sayeed Khokon met with Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader regarding their mission to free the city walkways and streets from hawkers
• In the latest eviction drive, the DSCC evicted illegal shops in Gulistan on October 27, which was resisted by the hawkers and led to a clash between them and the authorities.

Amid the tension, DSCC Mayor Khokon announced that the evicted hawkers will be temporarily allowed to run their makeshift shops in Mahanagar Natyamancha near Gulistan before a permanent arrangement has been made.

• Two hawkers’ associations – Bangladesh Hawkers’ Federation and Bangladesh Hawkers’ League –are working towards ending extortion and protesting against the eviction attempts without proper plans to relocate their business. “Evicting us before setting up alternative facilities for us is completely unacceptable,” said MA Kashem, president of both the associations. However, he welcomed the DSCC mayor’s initiative to relocate them.

“This will not end as long as the extortionists have the blessings of the local leaders and police,” said a DNCC high-up, seeking anonymity. “The grabbers have gone so far as to build permanent establishments of the city walkways, violating the High Court order,” he added. As hawkers sell everyday usable items like vegetables, kitchen ware, kitchen cutleries etc. at a very low cost, without having to go to the markets, the demand for hawkers never die. Moreover, due to powerful figures, extortionists make sure that hawking persists in order to save their corrupted income source.

The extortion problem deals with the corrupted system which works at the root of the problem. Without proper institution building, there will not a provision for accountability and transparency. There should also be initiatives taken by the government to create alternative opportunities for these poor hawkers so that they can earn their livelihood without causing the associated issues.

With the exitance of proper law and order, the local gangs can be caught. The authorities can also initiate a crackdown of the corrupted politicians or public officials who support the whole process of extortion. Hawkers occupying the roads leads to heavy traffic and corruption which leads to the deterioration of the overall quality of people’s lives- all of which is weaved from the same thread. If we can address a problem like extortion, the city will be light with less corruption and more development which is preeminent for the progress of the city.

An Interesting take towards the topic: Simi Rashid, a student of Lalmatia Mohila College talks about the vans in front of her college, “There are three big vans setting shop in front of the main gate which sells slightly defected clothes rejected from various RMGs at a very cheap rate- attracting a number of customers covering one third of the road. Due to this the already narrow road that leads to Zakir Hossain Road finds itself highly congested with vehicles.” She also added, “Despite understanding the situation, I still purchase clothes from these vans because convenience is what matters most to me- the hawkers make shopping quite convenient even if it is at the cost of a minor traffic jam.”

But with the increase in urbanization and industrialization, the roads and highways of the capital city, there has been a rise of an acute problem of noise pollution. It has become a bane of our existence with its adverse effect on the environment and on human lives.

In Dhaka, the average sound level is 80-110dB in the prime areas. This is almost twice the maximum noise level that can be tolerated by humans – 60dB – without suffering a gradual loss of hearing, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Sound pollution has reached its highest levels, of 120-130 decibels, at many points across Dhaka city. The noise rises during the peak hours from 8 am to 11 am when people leave the house for schools, college and office. Again from 12 noon to 2 pm when school’s over and from 5 pm onwards when offices close.

The noisiest parts of the city are Bangla motor, Shahbag – front of BSMMU and BIRDEM, Maghbazar, Mouchak, Kakrail – Road Crossing, Hotel Sonargaon, Malibag-Road Crossing front of Matsa Bhaban, Sheraton/Ruposhi Bangla and Shantinagar-Road Crossing. The impact zone of these noisy nodes influences many important and vulnerable institutions. Influence zone of Shahbag node covers vulnerable and important institutions like BSMMU and BIRDEM. According to Environmental Conservation Act-1995 (ECA’95) and Environmental Conservation Rules 1997 (ECR’97) the standard limit of sound for hospitals (up to a radius of 100 meters) is 45dB, but the actual level is much higher than that (have 85.6 dB and lav 75 dB).

The situation makes this zone more vulnerable. Inside the impact zone of Shantinagar, clinics, mosques, Shiddheswari Girls School and residential areas can be found. According to the characteristics of the zone, the standard sound limit is 45 dB to 50 dB (ECA’95 and ECR’97). But the actual highest and lowest average sound level (daytime) of this node is 82 dB and 72.2 dB. So, this place is affected severely by noise pollution.

This situation increases the state of vulnerability of the related socio-environment. On holidays, the condition is comparatively better as most offices, schools and institutions remain closed. Although many of the city dwellers and day labourers perform jobs and business in holidays and they have to travel by buses and other vehicles, and people come to this area to visit the park, to attend the conference and for marketing purpose in holidays. Moreover, most of the time, many types of fairs and events are organized in this important area. One of the major sources of noise pollution in urban areas is faulty engines of vehicles, traffic and loud horns. In Dhaka, 500-1,000 vehicles honk at the same time when stuck in traffic. The presence of different types of vehicles- Cars, Busses, CNGs, Rickshaws and Motorcycles continuously honk at each other at the same time.

Around 3,500 traffic police personnel are stationed in Dhaka, according to the Traffic Division of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP). Almost half of the traffic police personnel stationed in the capital are suffering from breathing and hearing difficulties due to air and noise pollution, according to doctors at Central Police Hospital. Dr Farhana Islam Shanta, medical officer at Central Police Hospital, said that around 100-150 traffic cops visit the hospital every day with breathing, hearing and heart-related problems. “Although we don’t have an exact figure, we guess almost half of the traffic personnel, particularly the constables, are suffering from such health problems,” Dr Farhana Islam said. She said prolonged exposure to noise pollution is also affecting the quality of their sleep and physiological health.

Other causes of noise pollution include under-construction areas, factories, various cultural and political programs in residential areas. Religious sermons played through a loudspeaker in the entrance of every road is another big problem that causes sound pollution. Lack of silent zones around hospitals, schools and universities profoundly affect the health of the patients and the students. Dhanmondi resident Sitara Khatun, 62, said: “There are several schools in my area, and loud horns are common when parents come to pick up their children from school. Apart from traffic congestion, these vehicles also create a lot of noise which is a huge problem, especially for me as I have high blood pressure.”

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), generally 60dB sound can make a man deaf temporarily and 100dB sound can cause complete deafness. Noise pollution can take a severe toll on human health in the long run. These effects will not become apparent immediately, but there could be repercussions later on. The following is a list of the kinds of effects noise pollution will have on human health after continuous exposure for months, and even years:

• The most immediate effect is a deterioration of mental health. As an example, people who are living too close to airports will probably be quite jumpy. Continuous noise can create panic episodes in a person and can even increase frustration levels.
• Another immediate effect of noise pollution is a deterioration of the ability to hear things clearly. Even on a short-term basis, noise pollution can cause temporary deafness.
• Noise pollution also takes a toll on the heart. It is observed that the rate at which heart pumps blood increases when there is a constant stimulus of noise pollution. This could lead to side-effects like elevated heartbeat frequencies, palpitations, breathlessness, and the like, which may even culminate into seizures.
• Noise pollution can cause dilation in the pupils of the eye, which could interfere in ocular health in the later stages of life.
• Noise pollution is known to increase digestive spasms. This could be the precursor of chronic gastrointestinal problems.

Effects of High Intensity Noise on Human Beings

• Threshold of audibility
• Significance change in pulse rate
• Stimulation of reception in skin
• Pain threshold
• Nausea, vomiting, dizziness, interference with touch and muscle sense
• Pain in ear, extreme limit of human noise tolerance
• Prolonged exposure causing burning of skin
• Minor permanent damage if prolonged
• Major permanent damage in a short time

According to the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2006, acceptable sound levels are 55 decibels for daytime – 6am to 9pm –and 45 decibels for night – 9pm to 6am – in residential areas; 50 decibels for daytime and 40 decibels for night in quiet places; 60 decibels for daytime and 50 decibels for night in mixed areas; 70 decibels for daytime and 60 decibels for night in commercial areas; and 75 decibels for daytime and 70 decibels for night in industrial areas. But sadly, a survey done by the department of the environment to measure noise pollution and the public’s awareness of its legislation shows that 46% of the people in Dhaka are unaware of this law and very few has seen it being implemented.

The existing laws on noise pollution

• According to Noise Pollution (Control) Rules, 2006, the acceptable sound condition is 55dB for daytime (6am to 9pm) and 45dB for night (9pm to 6am) in residential areas. It is 50dB for daytime and 40dB for nighttime in rural areas.
• The law stipulates that organizers must take prior permission from local authorities at least three days before the program, or at least one day before in exceptional or emergency cases. The instruments that violate the sound limit cannot be used for over five hours a day, or after 10pm.
• If violated, people can complain verbally or via a written format to authorized officers who can either issue a fine of Tk5,000 or hand out one-month prison sentences, or both, if the allegation is proven to be true and the offender has violated the law only once.

Dhaka city has a big potential to grow, but it cannot unless hazards like sound pollution are taken care of. But Who is to blame for this cancerous situation when we are the creator and sufferer at the same time. Pointing at Government is a common practice but Govt. cannot solve this problem alone if we do not step in collectively. Government/policymakers, Planning sector, Citizens, Public transport operators, Freight delivery sector, Waste management sector, Educational sector, Health sector, Media, NGOs- all concerning authorities need be actively participate to create a movement against it. A slight change in the viewpoint of the government, policy makes, legislators and the elites of the country can make significant impact in solving this problem. As citizens we can all work towards defeating this silent killer in the hopes of residing in a better Dhaka. It’s high time to take step forward to face this problem and take measurable actions so that we and our future generation can find a healthy livable city in future.