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2025-01-09   

Once the lifelines of Dhaka, the city's canals are now mere shadows of their former selves—clogged with pollution, suffocated by encroachment, and neglected due to flawed urban planning. In this seven-part series, The Daily Star explores the current condition of the capital's canals, botched restoration attempts, and how the sorry state of these waterways is exacerbating the city's waterlogging woes. Together, these stories reveal what it will take to bring Dhaka's dying canals back to life. Here is the fourth part of the series: Flood-flow zones, crucial for maintaining Dhaka's ecological balance, are rapidly vanishing, leaving the city increasingly vulnerable to waterlogging, loss of groundwater recharge, and potential flooding. Experts and urban planners blame rampant encroachment, questionable policies by the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk), and a culture of impunity that has legitimised illegal land use. FLOOD-FLOW ZONES: A CRITICAL RESOURCE Flood-flow zones are designated low-lying areas meant to retain water during monsoons, preventing urban flooding and aiding groundwater recharge. Historically, these zones ensured that excess water from rivers like the Buriganga had natural outlets, reducing the risk of flash floods and waterlogging. However, Dhaka has lost vast swathes of these zones due to unplanned urbanisation. According to a 2019 study by the Bangladesh Institute of Planners (BIP), the city lost 1,072 acres (57 percent) of its 1,879-acre flood-flow zones in metropolitan areas within a decade. Till 2019, since the publishing of the gazette on the previous master plan (DAP-2010), the city lost 3,440 acres out of 9,556 acres of flood-flow zones, water retention areas, and water bodies. POLICIES FUELING ENCROACHMENT The Detailed Area Plan, approved in 2023, has drawn severe criticism for legalising residential developments in previously conservable flood-flow zones. While the DAP imposes penalties for unauthorized construction under the Building Construction Rules, these penalties remain negligible, with no substantive action against encroachment. "This is a glaring weakness of Rajuk and the DAP," said Fazle Reza Sumon, former president of BIP. "This legalisation benefits certain quarters, encouraging others to encroach upon flood-flow zones with the hope of eventual regularization," he said. Rajuk has further divided flood-flow zones into "open flood-flow zones" and "general flood-flow zones". While development is restricted in open zones, conditional development is now permitted in general zones, reducing the total flood-flow area by 23 percent. "Rajuk has effectively legitimised encroachments and now has the power to alter land use based on individual or other considerations," said Iqbal Habib, vice president of Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon. "This will reduce Dhaka's flood-flow zones to a mere 26 percent of their original size." CONSEQUENCES FOR DHAKA'S ENVIRONMENT The gradual loss of flood-flow zones has dire implications for the city. Without sufficient floodplains, rivers like the Buriganga face reduced inflows, endangering their ecological health. "When houses are built on elevated flood-flow zones, roads are also raised, creating low pockets that trap water," explained Iqbal Habib. "This leads to severe waterlogging in areas like Kalabagan, Kathalbagan, Rayerbazar, Matikata, and the DND region." Mohammad Azaz, chairman of the River and Delta Research Centre (RDRC), highlighted how Dhaka has transformed from a wetland city into a concrete maze. "Dhaka should have been a sponge city, retaining water during rains. But unplanned urbanisation and inadequate town planning have buried natural water channels and wetlands, leaving the city defenseless against flooding." Adil Mohammad Khan, president of BIP, added, "Flood-flow zones were once restricted for farming and water retention, ensuring natural flood mitigation. Now, the absence of penalties for encroachments has made the current DAP toothless." Iqbal Habib warned, "Without sufficient flood-flow zones, Dhaka will face increased flash floods and river flooding. Vulnerable areas along the Buriganga's banks and other low-lying pockets will suffer the most." HOUSING PROJECTS: GOVT, PVT CULPRITS Government agencies have played a leading role in this crisis by developing large housing projects on wetlands, such as Uttara phases 1, 2, and 3, Purbachal, Jheelmil, and Baridhara J Block, according to experts. Private developers followed suit, with Jahirul Islam's Banasree and Eastern Housing becoming models for indiscriminate wetland encroachment, said Azaz. "Even local housing societies are now filling wetlands and flood-flow zones for new projects," added Iqbal Habib. The Drainage Masterplan 2016 by Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Wasa) revealed that many back swamps, depressions, and natural channels have already been filled in Dhaka, exacerbating the city's drainage issues. THE WAY FORWARD Experts emphasise that protecting flood-flow zones require strict enforcement of existing regulations and meaningful penalties for encroachment. Developing Dhaka's town planning with a focus on ecology and sustainability is also crucial. "The government must prioritise ecological and social considerations over mere land use," said Azaz. "Dhaka's survival depends on its ability to balance urbanisation with environmental preservation." Stressing the need for proper protection of flood-flow zones, Adil said any type of development should be completely restricted in the flood-flow zones around Dhaka. He said main flood-flow and sub-flood flow zones should be merged in the DAP to prohibit any types of development in these areas as they are imperative for water retention and protecting biodiversity, he added. "Vested interest groups that were involved in the destruction of flood-flow zones for housing, industry, or other activities, should be identified and penalised accordingly. Culpable officials of Rajuk, DoE, water development board, DC office, and other government offices should be punished as well for their misconduct," Adil said. Adil said environmental laws should be modified and amended to increase the punishment for encroachers of flood-flow areas. "Connectivity between different canals, waterbodies, and water channels should be restored. Appropriate demarcation of flood-flow zones is necessary as well and community engagement is also required to conserve these areas," he said. Unless urgent action is taken, the city risks losing its remaining flood-flow zones, leaving its population exposed to unmanageable water crises in the years to come, experts warned.wow 888 slot 。

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In a significant move to address the growing menace of digital financial frauds, the Department of Financial Services (DFS) has directed banks to adopt advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), to safeguard customers from fraudsters. The decision was taken during a high-level meeting chaired by the Secretary of DFS with representatives from the Reserve Bank of India ( RBI ), public sector banks, private banks, and payment banks. The meeting focused on tackling digital frauds , especially the increasing number of mule accounts used to facilitate illegal transactions. Department of Financial Services in a social media post stated that "Banks were directed to adopt advanced technologies, including AI/ML solutions, for real-time detection of mule accounts, training & upskilling bank staff on fraud detection & prevention, greater advocacy & awareness for common citizen for not to fall prey to the fraudsters" The secretary of Department of Financial Services, emphasized the need for proactive measures to protect citizens' hard-earned money and highlighted the importance of leveraging cutting-edge tools and practices to combat these challenges effectively. 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Discover the stories of your interest Blockchain 5 Stories Cyber-safety 7 Stories Fintech 9 Stories E-comm 9 Stories ML 8 Stories Edtech 6 Stories In addition to deploying advanced technologies, banks were instructed to prioritize the training and upskilling of their staff in fraud detection and prevention. The secretary also emphasized the importance of spreading awareness among customers about common fraud tactics, urging citizens to stay vigilant and not fall prey to fraudsters. The meeting underscored the importance of inter-bank collaboration and sharing of good practices to ensure a unified approach to curbing digital financial frauds. Banks were encouraged to foster partnerships and exchange ideas to strengthen the overall security framework of the financial system. This directive comes as part of the government's broader commitment to safeguarding the financial ecosystem and ensuring citizens' trust in digital banking channels. By integrating advanced technologies and fostering collective efforts, the banking sector aims to build a robust defense mechanism against evolving financial frauds.Media Chat: Tinubu’s Insensitive To Plight Of Nigerians – PDPSwinney and Brown at memorial service for ‘giant of a man’ Alex Salmond

Premier League leaders Liverpool ruthlessly exploited another slip by their title rivals to move seven points clear with a match in hand after a 3-1 win over Leicester. Chelsea’s surprise defeat at home to Fulham earlier in the day had been an unexpected gift for Arne Slot’s side and they drove home their advantage by outclassing the struggling Foxes. Having overcome the early setback of conceding to Jordan Ayew, with even the travelling fans expressing their surprise they were winning away after taking just five points on the road this season, the home team had too much quality. That was personified by the excellent Cody Gakpo, whose eighth goal in his last 14 appearances produced the equaliser in first-half added time with the Netherlands international unlucky to have a second ruled out for offside by VAR. Further goals from Curtis Jones and Mohamed Salah, with his 19th of the season, stretched Liverpool’s unbeaten run to 22 matches. For Leicester, who had slipped into the bottom three after Wolves’ win over Manchester United, it is now one win from the last 10 in the league and Ruud van Nistelrooy has plenty of work to do, although he was not helped here by the absence of leading scorer Jamie Vardy through injury. It looked liked Liverpool meant business from the off with Salah’s volley from Gakpo’s far-post cross just being kept out by Jakub Stolarczyk, making his league debut after former Liverpool goalkeeper Danny Ward was omitted from the squad having struggled in the defeat to Wolves. But if the hosts thought that had set the tone they were badly mistaken after being opened up with such simplicity in only the sixth minute. Stephy Mavididi broke down the left and his low cross picked out Ayew, who turned Andy Robertson far too easily, with his shot deflecting off Virgil van Dijk to take it just out of Alisson Becker’s reach. With a surprise lead to cling to Leicester knew they had to quell the storm heading their way and they began by trying to take as much time out of the game as they could, much to Anfield’s frustration. It took a further 18 minutes for Liverpool to threaten with Gakpo cutting in from the left to fire over, a precursor for what was to follow just before half-time. That was the prompt for the attacks to rain down on the Foxes goal, with Salah’s shot looping up off Victor Kristiansen and landing on the roof of the net and Robertson heading against a post. Gakpo’s inclination to come in off the left was proving a problem for the visitors, doing their utmost to resist the pressure, but when Salah curled a shot onto the crossbar on the stroke of half-time it appeared they had survived. However, Gakpo once again drifted in off the flank to collect an Alexis Mac Allister pass before curling what is fast becoming his trademark effort over Stolarczyk and inside the far post. Early the second half Darwin Nunez fired over Ryan Gravenberch’s cross before Jones side-footed home Mac Allister’s cross after an intricate passing move inside the penalty area involving Nunez, Salah and the Argentina international. Leicester’s ambition remained limited but Patson Daka should have done better from a two-on-one counter attack with Mavididi but completely missed his kick with the goal looming. 🎯 pic.twitter.com/IqmAsKylLR — Liverpool FC (@LFC) December 26, 2024 Nunez forced a save out of the goalkeeper before Gakpo blasted home what he thought was his second only for VAR to rule Nunez was offside in the build-up. But Liverpool’s third was eventually delivered by the left foot of Salah, who curled the ball outside Kristiansen, inside Jannick Vestergaard and past Stolarczyk inside the far post.

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