Unplanned and disorderly, Bangladesh capital fails to emerge as modern city: Report

Dhaka, Jan 10 (IANS) The growth of Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka, largely represents the spread of a fragile economic geography, with the city failing to emerge as a modern city. Although Dhaka has expanded swiftly in both size and population over the past few decades, the city has not become liveable, remaining largely unplanned and disorderly, a report said on Saturday.

“Transportation is a source of constant suffering. There is little evidence of planning in housing. Basic services such as electricity, water and gas are of poor quality. The city lacks green spaces and pavements. Noise and air pollution are pervasive. The list of problems is long. There is a widespread crisis of management across the city,” a report in Bangladesh’s Bengali daily Prothom Alo detailed.

According to the report, Dhaka is steadily turning into a city of slums, with informal settlements spreading across the capital and often making news during eviction operations and fire incidents.

While urbanisation, it said, has reshaped the demography, there is a lack of focus on how people live, how they work, how social relationships develop and how new communities take shape.

“Child marriage rates are high, child malnutrition is widespread, educational attainment is low, crime rates are high and access to healthcare is limited,” the report noted.

It highlighted that in July 2025, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), the research arm of British media group 'The Economist', published a global survey covering 173 cities, assessing them on indicators including stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure.

As per the survey, Dhaka was placed 171st on the Global Liveability Index.

“In addition, daily global rankings of air pollution frequently place Dhaka among the most polluted cities in the world. When Dhaka metropolitan city is mentioned, the image that comes to mind is that of a densely packed, monstrous city. Traffic congestion has rendered the city sluggish, significantly slowing the pace of life for its residents,” the report mentioned.

Also, the report stressed that residents of the capital live under constant fear of flooding due to an inadequate drainage system and poor management, resulting in the accumulation of waste across the city.

“Construction work continues throughout the year, filling the city with dust. The city appears dull and grim. Added to this are poverty, social inequality, a strained healthcare system and weak governance,” it added.

--IANS

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