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Dhaka Metropolitan City Area

Bangladesh / Dhaka /
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Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh is located on the Buriganga River in the heart of the Bengal delta, Dhaka has an estimated population of more than 14 million people, making it the largest city in Bangladesh and the 8th largest city in the world. Dhaka is one of the major cities of South Asia and also one of the world's most densely populated cities. It is known as the City of Mosques, and 400,000 cycle-rickshaws running on its streets every day, Virtually surrounded by three large rivers, it is the last major urban stop on the great Gangetic stream as it cascades into the sea. The lowest part of the city is a little more than two meters above sea level putting residents at risk of constant flooding. Population explosion and traffic congestion are its major problems.

Dhaka has a fairly long history. From a sporadic settlements of 10th Century it grew as an urban centre in the Sultanate period and rose into prominence in the Mughal preiod. The cotton textiles 'muslin' produced at Dhaka were of finest quality and were in great demand in the outside world. During the Mughal vice-royalty of Shaista Khan rice was sold in the Dhaka market at the rate of 8 maunds (300kg) per rupee. The Mughals built forts, roads, bridges, caravansaries (katras), mosques and Idgah. But, after their decline the capital was shifted to Muksudabad (Murshidabad) and subsequently to Kolkata by the British rule. By 1828 the city was reduced to a mere district headquarter. Most of the former Mughal city had either been deserted or fallen victim to the encroaching jungles. Dhaka suffered physical shrinkage; once populated areas became desolate covering an area only a little over three miles and a quarter by one and a quarter.

In 1904, large-scale urbanisation was initiated by the British Raj at the initiative of viceroy Lord Curzon when Dhaka was made the capital of the newly created province of 'Eastern Bengal and Assam'. The Ramna area with its magnificent buildings and infrastructures were developed to house the administrative apparatus. But, due to persistent 'swadeshi' movement and agitation against the partition led by the hindu intellectuals, zamindars and activits, who were the economically dominant class in Bengal , the British Raj to appease them annulled the partition of Bengal in 1911. Dhaka's status was relegated again to a district town. People who came to Dhaka from outside to live in and setup trade and industry soon melted out.

During partition of India in 1947, Dhaka gained city status when it was made the capital of East Pakistan. The city expanded phenomenally. The importance of Dhaka increased exponentially after 1971, when it became the capital of independent Bangladesh. According to the census of 1991 the area and population of Dhaka Megacity or Dhaka Statistical Metropolitan Area (DSMA) were 1,600 sq km and 6.83 million respectively. According to the same census the area under the Dhaka city corporation (DCC) was 360 sq km, with a population of 3.39 million. The present population of DSMA is estimated at about 140 million (9.0 million in 2001).

Dhaka is situated between latitudes 23°42' and 23°54'N and longitudes 90°20' and 90°28'E. The city is bounded by the rivers Buriganga to the south, Turag to the west, Balu to the east and Tongi Khal to the north. The city has three distinct seasons: winter (November-February), dry with temperature 10° to 20°C; the pre-monsoon season (March-May), some rain and hot with temperature reaching up to 40°C; and the monsoon (June-October), very wet with temperatures around 30°C. Dhaka experiences about 2,000 mm rain annually, of which about 80% falls during the monsoon.

The most important development that has taken place in the city's recent history is the overwhelming growth of its population, chiefly through migration. In 1801, the city had a population of some 200,000; by 1840 it dwindled to 51,636. In 1872, at the time of the first census, Dhaka had a population of 69,212; in 1881, 79,076; in 1911, 1,25,000; and in 1941, 2,39,000. After the Partition of 1947 the increase in population showed a steady rise with the arrival of migrants from India and in 1951 the population jumped to 3,36,000. According to the census of 1961, the city had a population of 556,000, a growth of some 44.63% during a decade. This growth rose dramatically after 1971. By 1974, the population increased to 1,680,000; in 1981 it reached 3,440,000; and in 1991, 6,150,000. The unprecedented growth of the city and the lure of jobs and opportunities, real or imaginary, led enormous numbers of rural migrants from all over the country to come to Dhaka. The legal and administrative boundaries of the city nowadays have however been extended to a great extent to include, for example, Narayanganj and Savar, so that the city's present population is more than 14 million. Within this boundary there are, however, many patches of rural areas as well as wastelands. This enormous growth in population has had its impact upon the city's housing and various service sectors as well as upon its social and economic life, especially upon its environment. Large parts of the city have developed as slums where poor migrants live in shanties in inhuman conditions.

The unprecedented increase of population, have made the old-time transports, housing and civic services totally inadequate and unsuitable. In the Pakistan days building activities took a new turn when western, especially American influence, became marked. The buildings of the Central Public Library and the Dhaka University Teachers-Students' Centre are important examples. However, the influence became epitomised in the planning and development of the Second Capital in Sher-e-Banglanagar and the building of the 'jatiya sangsad bhaban' or the Parliament Building designed by the noted American architect Louis Kahn. The design received an international award for architectural excellence and now the building is the prime architectural specimen of modern Dhaka. A number of very beautifully designed private houses and apartment blocks amalgamating modern and Indo-Bangla styles have also come up in various parts of the city, especially in Dhanmondi, Eskaton and Karwan Bazar, Baridhara, Gulshan, Banani and Uttara.


Bibliography: Mirza Nathan, Baharistan-I-Ghaibi, 2 volumes, (tr) MI Borah, Government of Assam, 1936; SM Taifuor, Glimpses of Old Dhaka, Dhaka 1952; A H Dani, Dacca, A Record of its Changing Fortunes, Dhaka, 1962; A Karim, Dacca The Mughal Capital, Dhaka, 1964; Sharif Uddin Ahmed (ed.), Dhaka Past Present Future, Dhaka, 1991.
www.banglapedia.org/HT/D_0145.HTM
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dhaka
Nearby cities: Dhaka City, Comilla, Shahbazpur Town
Coordinates:   23°46'48"N   90°25'36"E

Comments

  • Dhaka
  • А великие индийские реки Инд и Ганг не такие уж и индийские. Первая вообще течёт только по Пакистану, а вторая не менее трети своей длины протекает по Бангладешу.
  • translation into english: A great Indian river Indus and the Ganges are not that Indian . The first generally flows only in Pakistan , and the second at least one third of its length flows through Bangladesh. - very true.
  • The rivers have flown for thousands of years over what was undivided India - before the great men partitioned the same.
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