For the residents of Matuail and Kutubkhali on the outskirts of the capital, the arrival of monsoon clouds brings terror rather than relief. Areas such as Shahidnagar, Shamimbagh, Adarshabag, Munshibagh, Tushardhara, and Kutubkhali have become synonymous with chronic waterlogging, suffering, and uncertainty.
Even light rainfall causes canals to overflow and dark, filthy sewage to seep into homes. In many places, children are forced to navigate knee-deep water to reach school. What was once a seasonal crisis has now evolved into what locals describe as a “permanent curse”.
Many roads in Matuail Hospital Road, Shahidbag, Munshibagh, Shamimbagh, Rayerbagh, Tushardhara, Saddam Market, and Kutubkhali remain submerged in drain water.
Dilapidated roads filled with potholes and stagnant, foul-smelling water make it nearly impossible for thousands of daily commuters to distinguish between a road and a canal.
Md Abdur Karim, a local resident, told Times of Bangladesh, “When the rain starts, it feels like we are living in a ditch, not a city.”
He described the plight of having to carry children through the water and the fear of falling into invisible potholes during power cuts at night.
The infrastructure failure has reached a point where emergency services are hindered. Rubina Akter, a resident of Shahidnagar, recounted how an ambulance could not enter her alley to reach her mother-in-law, forcing them to carry the patient on a stretcher through knee-deep water.
Public Health Crisis
The environmental degradation is severe, with black water overflowing into residences and piles of garbage obstructing the water flow. Plastic, polythene, and rotting waste float in the stagnant water where children play and the elderly walk.
Consequently, there is a surge in skin diseases, diarrhoea, and viral fevers. Stagnant water has also become a breeding ground for mosquitoes, significantly increasing the risk of dengue. Inadequate sanitation systems further exacerbate the situation.
Administrative Neglect and Boundary Disputes Locals attribute the crisis to unplanned urbanisation, canal encroachment, and a fragile drainage system caused by long-term mismanagement and administrative lack of coordination.
A significant part of Matuail falls on the boundary between the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) and Narayanganj City Corporation (NCC). Residents claim this “boundary complexity” has prolonged their suffering, as both agencies frequently shift responsibility onto each other.
“We pay taxes regularly,” expressed a frustrated Md Jasim Uddin. “But when it comes to work, everyone says it’s not their area. Where are we supposed to go?”.
The Death of Kutubkhali Canal
At the heart of the crisis is the Kutubkhali Canal, which flows through Jatrabari and the Dunia area. Once a vital waterway, it has effectively become a waste dump. The canal is choked with household waste, including mattresses, pillows, plastic bottles, and polythene, to the point where the water flow has nearly ceased.
Reports suggest that waste is dumped directly into the canal from nearby shops and houses, sometimes even by waste-hauling trucks under the cover of night.
Specifically, numerous temporary shops along Jatrabari Madrasa Road are reported to dump vast quantities of refuse into the water.
“This is no longer a canal; it’s a pile of rubbish,” said Sharifuddin, a resident of Kutubkhali. During recent moderate to heavy rainfall, the canal overflowed into markets and homes.
Md Selim, a local shopkeeper, said that knee-deep water often enters his shop, while gas cylinders were seen submerged in front of grocery stores. Businessmen were left standing helplessly as they feared their goods would be ruined, and motorcyclists were often forced to stop mid-road to avoid engine damage.
Demands for Permanent Solutions Growing
Public anger led residents to block the road in front of Matuail Hospital on the 10th of the month.
Under the slogan “No more public suffering, ensure civic services,” residents of Matuail, Shahidbag, Munshibagh, and Shamimbagh formed a human chain to demand the cleaning of canals and drains in the DND (Dhaka-Narayanganj-Demra) area. They argued that restoring the navigability of canals is the only permanent solution.
In response, the DSCC maintains that administrative action alone is insufficient without public awareness. Mahabubur Rahman Talukdar, Chief Waste Management Officer of DSCC, told TIMES that fines are not the ultimate solution and urged the public to stop dumping waste into canals. City workers noted that even after canals are cleaned, they are refilled with garbage within days.
However, Md Abdul Salam, Administrator of DSCC, recently announced a stricter stance. He stated that those caught dumping waste on roads would be identified by their holding numbers and face action through mobile courts.
Urban planner Adil Muhammad Khan told TIMES that seasonal cleanup drives are inadequate. He emphasised that the crisis requires the restoration of canal navigability, the eviction of illegal encroachments, regular maintenance, and a concerted effort to ensure civic awareness.
