Chapter 16 Environmental risks in Dhaka: present initiatives and the future improvements

Abstract

Dhaka is one of the most populated megacities in the world with a total population of over 12 million and an area of 276sqkm (DCC, 2004). The city is situated at the center of the country and is surrounded by a river system comprising Buriganga, Balu, Turag, and Shitalakhya. The city has a long history dating from the Pre-Mughal, to the Mughal, and, finally, to the Bangladesh period. The growth of Dhaka basically started from the current extreme south and along Buriganga River and then it expanded earlier to the West (Hazaribagh) and the East (Gandaria) and later to the North (Mirpur). However, in the last few decades, the city experienced huge population growth and rapid industrial, commercial, business, residential, and infrastructure development, which have significantly expanded the physical feature of Dhaka. Still many of the development activities are taking place in an informal way within the Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) area, the main part of the megacity.

Citation

Golam Rabbani, M. (2009), "Chapter 16 Environmental risks in Dhaka: present initiatives and the future improvements", Shaw, R., Srinivas, H. and Sharma, A. (Ed.) Urban Risk Reduction: An Asian Perspective (Community, Environment and Disaster Risk Management, Vol. 1), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 319-338. https://doi.org/10.1108/S2040-7262(2009)0000001020