Dhaka: Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Mayor Sayeed Khokon on Wednesday said urban water-bodies are dwindling in the capital day by day due to illegal occupation, putting the city’s drainage system in trouble.

“Dhaka’s limited water-bodies have gradually been grabbed putting a serious impact on the drainage management,” he told the first coordination meeting of the city corporation at Nagar Bhaban.

The DSCC arranged the coordination meeting with 26 service providing agencies at its conference room, reported UNB.

Water-bodies have historically played an important role in spatial development of a city. Immediately after rainfall, the rainwater runs off water-bodies through canals and drains, and helps keep the city free from water-logging and flooding.

According to a 2011 study of the Center for Environmental and Geographic Information Services (CEGIS), Dhaka city had a total of 2,952 hectares of water-bodies in 1960, but it declines to only 1,990 hectares in 2009.

Recalling necessity of urban water-bodies to keep the city free from water-logging, Sayeed Khokon directed the Dhaka district administration to launch a drive to recover the occupied water-bodies in and around the capital within next 15 days.

He also asked the district administration to report about the progress of recovery of water-bodies to the DSCC within a month.

The DSCC urged the Dhaka WASA (Water Supply & Sewerage Authority) to help the district administration by proving its available data over the current status of the water- bodies.

Dhaka WASA Managing Director Engr Taqsem A Khan observed that the box culverts built in the city are severely creating problems in flowing rainwater towards the water-bodies.

He said it will be a difficult task to remove the box culverts since roads were developed over the culverts for transportation.

Project Director of Moghbazar-Mouchak Flyover Project Nazmul Alam said the public suffers in various forms because of the development works, adding that they worked hard to execute the project lessening people’s pain.

“We’ve planned to open the flyover from Eskaton to Mouchak by end of this month and execution deadline of the whole project has been extended to June, 2017. But we’re hopeful of finishing the task much earlier,” he said.

The DSCC at its meeting made some key instructions to the agencies involved in urban governance in the capital to address its long-lasting problems, including traffic congestion and water-logging.

It directed the service-providers concerned to launch a coordinated drive against any form of obstacles, including illegal occupation, for ensuring smooth flow of traffic and rainwater.

DMP Additional Commissioner (Crime and Operation) Sheikh Md Maruf Hasan and RAJUK Chairman M Bazlul Karim Chowdhury also spoke at the meeting.