Trevor Mrak wrote:
Although litter doesn’t seem to be overwhelming most areas of the lake (workers manicure the park around the lake), it’s clear that it has become somewhat of a cesspool. During dry season (November to May), as the rains departed and water levels dropped, the effects become more prominent. A significant algal bloom dominates much of the lake’s surface, and the stink of sewage is strong, particularly near small culverts which discharge what looks to be grey (and possible sewage water) directly into the lake.
A great deal of construction takes place in and around Baridhara, and many of the workers working on the structures live in temporary, outdoor housing pieced together with sheets of corrugated metal and plywood. Since there are no indoor/sanitation facilities provided for the workers, they bathe and potentially discharge their personal waste on site, which goes untreated into the sewage system. Discharge pipes are obvious from the park path, and although I’m not certain this is what is happening, the smell of sewage in the lake, especially around the culverts, is putrid. I also recently learned that the lake is man-made and was meant to act as a water holding reservoir to prevent flooding in monsoon. It seems highly likely that the runoff and the discharge of sewage directly into the lake is a major reason for its current state. According to a Dhaka Tribune article from a few years ago, this has been an ongoing problem for similar lakes in the area (Siddique, A. 28 April 2013).
Since this observation, a fellow teacher mentioned that the City of Dhaka plans to dredge the lake due to the increasing pollution, and also put strategies in place to prevent the influx of raw sewage into the lake. Gulshan Lake, a similar man-made lake in the area, is currently going through this dredging process, but the project is currently behind schedule.
References
Chowdhury, G.W., Zieritz, A. and Aldridge, D.C., 2016. Ecosystem engineering by mussels supports biodiversity and water clarity in a heavily polluted lake in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Freshwater Science, 35(1), pp.188-199.
Islam, M., Kitazawa, D., Runfola, D.M. and Giner, N.M., 2012. Urban lakes in a developing nation: Drivers, states and impacts of water quality and quantity in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Lakes & Reservoirs: Research & Management, 17(4), pp.253-263.
Razzak, N.R.B., Siddik, A.Z. and Ahmeduzzaman, M., 2013. Evaluation of water quality of Ramna and Gulshan lakes. International Journal of Environmental Monitoring and Analysis, 1(6), pp.273-278.
Siddique, A.B. 2013. Rajuk fills in Gulshan Banani Lake to build road. Dhaka Tribune, May 27, 2013.
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