IN the UN's recent report on urban areas around the world, Dhaka was classed as the eleventh most populous city in the world, with a prediction that it is set to become the sixth most populous by 2030, with a burgeoning population of 2.7 crore. The report should come as a major alarm-bell to the government and urban planners as the citizens are already suffering the many drawbacks of living in an over-crowded area. Long tailbacks, water logging and deprivation of basic amenities have by now become an almost routine problem for the people of the city.
We hope the authorities take this recent report as a wake-up call and seriously consider decentralising Dhaka city before the problem exacerbates. The rapid development of the city has not been equal as can be seen by the existence of many slums and squatter settlements inside Dhaka. The ghettoisation is an odd appendage to the already unplanned urban settlement. The demand for basic amenities such as water, housing etc has already outstripped the metropolis's ability to provide them. The task at hand for the government is both to start substantial urban expansion on the outskirts of the city and to create a better infrastructure for transport and communication, whereby people are encouraged to live outside the city and transit to it from work. We are in a race against time to ensure the liveability inside Dhaka.