Staff Reporter:
Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) on Tuesday launched a month-long special cleanliness drive aimed at mitigating waterlogging during the monsoon.
DSCC Administrator Abdus Salam inaugurated the program at around 12pm through a box culvert cleaning operation at Segagicha in the capital.
He said the city corporation has already undertaken multifaceted measures to relieve residents from wa-ter logging during the monsoon.
“As part of the short-term plan, cleaning work has begun yesterday at four box culverts in the capital. Although the stipulated timeframe for the work is five months considering the approaching monsoon we have issued special instructions to remove the waste and restore water flow in these culverts within the next month,” he said.
To tackle water logging, DSCC has identified 33 water logging ‘hotspots’ in its jurisdiction and is taking special measures to ensure faster drainage in those areas.
The City Corporation has also prepared Emergency Response Teams (ERT) for each area to respond quickly during heavy rainfall.
In addition, six new portable pumps have been kept ready to remove accumulated rainwater during ex-cessive rainfall while two permanent pumping stations under the corporation have been made fully oper-ational, according to DSCC.
Currently, water from the DSCC area is discharged through three exits-TT Para, Dholai Khal and Hatirjheel- which are considered inadequate compared to the demand.
To address the issue, proposals for constructing two new exits at New Market and Sadarghat in Old Dha-ka have been approved and will be implemented soon.
DSCC has also appointed a consulting firm to revise and modernize the drainage master plan received from Dhaka WASA, based on whose recommendations long-term measures will be undertaken.
Meanwhile, projects are underway to restore the flow and improve the surrounding environment of four canals Jirani, Shyampur, Kalunagar and Manda, the administrator said.
Abdus Salam said the 2.85-kilometre-long culvert stretching from Shilpakala Academy to the TT Para Pump Station would benefit nearly one million residents of Segagicha, Secretariat, Paltan, Motijheel, Naya Paltan and surrounding areas once cleaned.
Among others, DSCC Chief Executive Officer Md Zahurul Islam and Chief Waste Management Officer Air Commodore Md Mahbubur Rahman Talukdar were present at the program.
