The situation in North Talbagh area of Ward 05, Savar Municipality, Savar Upazila, Dhaka District, is a case of “darkness under the lamp post.”
While development work has been carried out in other neighborhoods of the municipality, the waterlogging problem in this area has remained the same for years. A field visit found that even a little rain floods the roads and low-lying houses with knee-deep water. Foul-smelling drain water overflows onto the streets, increasing health risks several times over.
Every year during the monsoon season, this miserable scene has become routine. Students, Shopkeepers, and Homeowners Suffer Because of the waterlogging, school and college-going students are facing extreme hardship. Small shopkeepers are counting losses due to lack of customers. Many houses are not being rented properly.
Tenants are reluctant to live here, putting homeowners at a financial loss as well. Locals allege that while renovation and development work by the municipality has taken place in nearby neighborhoods over the past few years, North Talbagh has repeatedly been neglected for some unknown reason. Water in Front of the MP’s House Too The matter becomes even more concerning when it is seen that the residence of the current government’s Honorable Member of Parliament, Dr. Dewan Muhammad Salahuddin Babu, is also in this ward. At the same time, the ancestral home of Honorable MP from the reserved women's seat, Engineer Mahbuba Hakim, named ‘Badamtali Bilash’, is also located here.
A field visit showed that knee-deep water was stagnant right in front of the MP’s father’s house. Residents’ Demand Residents are demanding that the Savar municipal authorities take immediate special initiatives to resolve the waterlogging in North Talbagh, renovate the drainage system, and repair the broken roads.
Muhammad Javed Hakim, a renowned travel writer and journalist who lives in this block, said, “Among the entire Ward 5, Block A and Block E have the most potholes and broken roads. Movement becomes almost impossible during the rainy season. We are seeking the kind attention of local public representatives and the municipal authorities so that the suffering of the residents can be ended quickly.” Residents hope that the authorities will now take effective steps to solve the problems of this important public area.
