Management Issues of Ecologically Critical Areas in and around Dhaka City: A Case Study of Gulshan-Baridhara Lake

Abstract

The earlier areal expansion and excessive urban growth of Dhaka city in the last few decades is causing the loss of natural vegetation, loss of open spaces, and a general decline in the spatial extent and connectivity of wetlands and wildlife habitat. The current loss of wetlands in and around Dhaka city has become a prime issue that result many adverse impacts on the environment. Due to various natural and human induced reasons, the wetlands of the city have been shrinking with the passage of time. Wetlands constitute a part of human heritage. It has played a significant role in the development of human culture and society. Moreover, it contains very rich components of biodiversity of local, national, and regional significance. This study attempts to evaluate the existing state of wetland degradation in Dhaka city emphasizing on the extent of their changes and subsequent impacts on ecological and social environment of the area. The study mainly focuses on the comprehensive analysis of the various issues leading to wetlands degradation of Gulshan-Baridhara Lake and its management issues. Gulshan-Baridhara Lake is the northernmost lake in a chain of water bodies (Gulshan Lake, Hatirjheel, Begunbari Khal, Balu River and Shitalakhya River) in Dhaka, suffering from highly significant pollution, illegal grabbing, ineffective waste management and loss of ecosystem. The lake was declared an Ecologically Critical Area (ECA) in 2001. It is one of the lifelines of Dhaka city and therefore sustainable management and protection of the lake through integrated approach of concerned authorities has become a prime concern.