Urban Environmental Problems: Addressing the Legacy in Dhaka, Bangladesh - Essay Sample

Introduction

A high number nearly half of the global population resides in urban centers, and the number is increasing om a daily basis. The increase in the urban population causes environmental problems that are related to the human and environmental quality of life. A city like Dhaka, Bangladesh, is an ideal place where the legacy relating to the urban environment can be addressed as the city is facing substantial environmental degradation. The urban environmental problems can be solved by environmental professionals who are well familiar with various places and diverse cultures, and they are ready to understand the values and issues necessary to solve the problem posed by environmental degradation.

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Environmental Degradation in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Environmental degradation is the process in which the environment is deteriorated or disintegrated through the consumption of assets such as soil or land, water, and air. In Dhaka, Bangladesh, environmental degradation occurs in land, water, and air, which impacts the living conditions of individuals who live in the Dhaka city together with the global climate to a great extent (Islam et al., 2014). Land, water, and air depend on each other, and degradation of one of them affects the other resulting in breakdown and deterioration of the entire environment, a challenge being faced by the Dhaka city because of human exploitation. The city has experienced extensive environmental problems such as waterlogging and flooding. The problem has been on the increased urbanization in the city as it results in extensive expansion of the urban area, and the expansion causes water bodies, including wetlands and canals, to vanish from the landscape. As per statistics, Dhaka in the last forty years have lost close to 75% of its wetlands as they were filled and other parts of the city are experiencing increased construction of buildings on areas that are filled with sands making the city vulnerable for flood inundation (Byomkesh et al., 2012). Thus, the city must put a lot of effort into preventing encroachment and, in a more preferred way to manage its canals and wetlands.

Ways in Which Dhaka Environment is being Degraded

How the environment of Dhaka city is degraded depends on the type of degradation, whether it is water, land, or air. In summary, water degradation is caused by the individual or industrial release of harmful substances into the water, which makes it unsuitable for human consumption in the city. Land degradation in the city is majorly caused by waste disposal such as metal scraps, plastic materials, and Styrofoam, together with increased contamination from unsafe battery recycling and contamination from heavy metals, which mostly affects the poor, especially children and women. On the other hand, atmospheric or air degradation is a result of the pollution of air through both industrial and vehicular emissions. According to Tanvir (2019), the Dhaka city leads in the whole Bangladesh on the issue of air pollution which in the city alone in both indoor and ambient air pollution has resulted to nearly 21 percent deaths which represent the highest number of deaths caused by air pollution among the countries of South Asia.

In detail, the Dhaka city in Bangladesh is characterized by a high population, which is growing very fast, and a high concentration of both industries and services. The rapid urbanization in Dhaka city starting from the time it became Bangladesh's capital city, as a massive migration occurred, especially from the rural areas. Most of the city residents settled in squatter and slums settlements (Labib et al., 2014). Such factors, together with the high consumption of resources, are the major causes of environmental degradation in the city. The other factor is the poor people in the city live in unsafe places in the city. The conditions, together with insufficient enforcement, inadequate infrastructure, and ineffective planning, are the most significant factors that lead to Dhaka environmental degradation.

The absence of appropriate guidelines has resulted in inadequate attention being given on environmentally sensitive developments in the city, which then increases the chances in which the Dhaka environment is degraded. The environmental condition of the city is threatened by the filling of and encroachment of lakes, rivers, and canals (Islam et al., 2014). The Dhaka environmental degradation is triggered more with the increased dumping of both the industrial and municipal wastes into different canals, which might expose the residents of the city with health hazards and ecological disaster.

The city is degraded by the continuous discharge of agrochemicals contained in urban wastewater, untreated effluents from industries, solid waste, concurrent and sedimentation encroachment, sewage water, oil spillage, and storm run-off, all which pollutes the watershed of Dhaka city. Industrial effluents and domestic sewage components are discharged from large parts of Dhaka city via storm sewers, which then pollutes the river system in the city (Labib et al., 2014). Also, the city residents who live on the river banks pollutes the rivers by throwing household wastes inside.

There is common encroachment of watershed areas in the city, causing degradation of the city's wetland. There is a disappearance of several natural drains in the city, and others are the process of disappearing due to illegal encroachment. The encroachment is majorly caused by solid wastes dumped into river sources together with unauthorized construction, which results in pollution of water in rivers.

Environmental degradation in Dhaka city is also caused by air pollution as a result of the increased number of motor vehicles and various industries' activities. In the city, the significant sources of air pollution are emissions from cars together with small industries like suspended road dust and brick kilns. The environment of the city is also affected by noise pollution, which is also a major that degrades the city resulting in both psychological and physical problems.

The Dhaka city water supply system is insufficient as there is dissatisfaction in both water quantity and quality. The city's both governmental and non-governmental organizations responsible for garbage disposal lacks a sustainable system for garbage collection system.

Measures of Environmental Degradation in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Implement the use of green transportation. The city planners should implement the use of bikes in transportation to replace the use of cars, which releases pollution to air, which speeds up environmental degradation in the city. Using green transportation will make air to be cleaner, and it makes the environment to be in better shape (Labib et al., 2014). The measure is a public good as it does not have restrictions on its utility because any member of the public can use a bicycle instead of a vehicle.

The other measure is giving back to the environment of the city. The measure is broad, but narrowly, it means taking care of the environment by limiting the number of effluents discharged to rivers or canals from industries. The government should take responsibility by developing and implementing policies like maximum effluents to be released. The policies are referred to be environmental standards, which outline the levels of parameters of the environmental quality, which is acceptable. Strong collaboration and coordination among the private sector and government agencies are needed to reverse the environmental degradation trends and help shift the city's environment toward both clean technologies and a greener development path. The measure is a public good as it is the obligation of the whole public, that is, the residents of the city to take care of the environment, and they take part in the implementation developed by the government to address the problem of environmental degradation in the city.

Both local governments and urban planners at Dhaka city must develop and implement strategies that ensure the compatibility of land use in various planning processes to assist in preventing the generation of the sources of noise in the city (Tanvir, 2019). All the sensitive developments, including residential, should be designed in a way that minimizes the impacts of noise pollution. Also, the green buffer zone should be provided in hospitals, educational institutions, and neighborhoods to a healthy environment, which is noise-free in the city. The measure is CPR, as it is only utilized by individuals who want to construct their houses in the city. It excludes those who only live in the residentials, who are not responsible for any constructions.

Another essential measure is the use of education to create awareness of conserving the city's environment. Government agencies should be at the forefront of providing environmental education to the city residents to change the priorities and perceptions of the in which the residents utilize the environmental services and resources in the city. The education can be done through internalizing both environmental responsibility and awareness into the decision making of individuals (Dewan et al., 2012). It can be provided through training and provision of information to the city residents through negotiation and pressure. The measure is essential as it informs on the appropriate construction practices, minimized discharge of solid wastes and industrial effluents, and on the causes of environmental degradation in the city. The measure is a pure public good as education is for everyone who resides in the city, and it does not exclude some individuals.

Also, watershed management is another important measure. It is the best strategy for sustainable and optimum use of water and land in the city. The rivers or canals around the city should be managed well to prevent degradation of the water used in the city. The measure will restore the natural capital of the water sources, and it will ensure clean water is maintained all over the surroundings of the city. The measure is entering on private classification as the stakeholders involved in the measure are not the whole public. Instead, the responsibility of managing the watershed is on government agencies like DWASA, and other agencies are obliged to protect the environment of the city drainage.

Short-term investment in the city is another essential measure. The investment should be tailored to address the issue of urban planning, formulation of a clear vision regarding the city's environment, and investing a continuous and robust will of government agencies in the city who can through their responsibility unleash various resources and assistance to turn the tide of inappropriate planning and the problem of environmental degradation by making land improvement through dredging of the city canals. The measure is classified under private good as it is the responsibility of the government to invest in the planning of the city and offering assistance to government agencies who have goods plans on the city's environmental protection.

Environs of the Canal in Baunia Area

The canals in Dhaka city experience a threat of disappearance as the canals in the city are facing the challenge of illegal pollution and encroachment. The canal in the Baunia area links Baunia with Kalshi. There has been an improvement on the canal from last year when in June, the Dhaka North City Corporation opened a drainage link in the canal, which was seen to solve a long-lasting problem of waterlogging in the region. The canal has been affected by reckless residents of that area who through garbage into the canal, which then blocks. According to Ishtiaque et al. (2014), during the June 2019 cleaning, the garbage found during the clean-up was astonishing as...