Dhaka (Bengali: ঢাকা, pronounced: [ˈɖʱaka]; English /dɑːkə/, /dækə/; formerly romanized as Dacca[5]) is the capital of Bangladesh. Located on the east banks of the Buriganga River in the heart of the Bengal delta, Dhaka has an estimated population of more than 15 million people, making it the largest city in Bangladesh and the 8th largest city in the world.[6] It is known as the City of Mosques, and with 400,000 cycle-rickshaws running on its streets every day, the city is described as the Rickshaw Capital of the World. Dhaka is also one of the world's most densely populated cites.[7][8][9]
Under the Mughal Empire in the 17th-century, the city was known as Jahangir Nagar (City of Jahangir). It served as the capital of Bengal and prospered as the centre of the worldwidemuslin trade.[10][11] The modern city, however, developed chiefly under British rule in the 19th-century. It was the capital of Eastern Bengal and Assam between 1905 and 1911. After the Partition of British India, Dhaka became the administrative capital of East Pakistan, and later, in 1971, the capital of independent Bangladesh. During the intervening period, the city witnessed widespread turmoil; this included many impositions of martial law, the declaration of Bangladesh's independence, military suppression, devastation during war, poverty and natural calamities.
Modern Dhaka is the seat of the Bangladeshi republic and home to the Parliament of Bangladesh, the Government of Bangladesh and the Supreme Court of Bangladesh. Along withChittagong, Dhaka is one of the command centres of the Bangladeshi economy. It is a centre of the nation's cultural life, flourishing in the arts and hosts a thriving contemporary and modern art scene.[12][13] Although its urban infrastructure is among the most developed in the country, the city suffers from chronic urban challenges of poverty, pollution andoverpopulation. It is modernizing its transport and communications, and has been attracting large volumes of foreign investments in recent years. Dhaka has also emerged as one of the fastest growing cities in the world.[14][15]
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[show]Etymology[edit]
The word Dhaka is said to refer to the Dhaka tree (Butea frondosa), once common in the area; or to Dhak (Bengali: ঢাক), a huge membranophone instrument from South Asia which was beaten by order of Subahdar Islam Khan I while inaugurating the capital in 1610.[16] The name Dhaka may also have originated from Dhakeshwari ("The Hidden Goddess"), she is the 800 years old deity of the Divine Mother, whose shrine is located in the south-western part of the city.[17] Some references also say that it was derived from a Prakrit dialect called Dhaka Bhasa; or Dhakka, used in the Rajtarangini for a watch-station; or it is the same as Davaka, mentioned in the Allahabad pillar inscription of Samudragupta as an eastern frontier kingdom.[18]
History[edit]
Main article: History of Dhaka
Buddhist and Hindu kingdom[edit]
The existence of a settlement in the area that is now Dhaka dates from the 7th century. The small area was ruled by the Buddhist kingdom of Kamarupa and the Pala Empire before passing to the control of the Hindu Sena dynasty in the 9th century.[19] The name of the city may have derived after the establishment of the Goddess Dhakeshwari's temple by Ballal Sena in the 12th century.[20] The town itself consisted of a few market centres like Lakshmi Bazar, Shankhari Bazar, Tanti Bazar, Patuatuli, Kumartuli, Bania Nagar and Goal Nagar. After the fall of the Sena Empire, Dhaka was successively ruled by the Sultanate of Bengal as well as interruption of governors from the Delhi Sultanate.
Mughal rule[edit]
In 1576, much of Bengal came under the control of the Mughal Empire. At the time, Dhaka emerged as Mughal military base, prior to this, Chittagong was the leading city of Bengal.[21] The development of townships and housing had resulted into a significant growth in population, as the town was proclaimed the capital (Rajmahal) of Bengal under Mughal rule in 1608, during this time many mosques, forts and universities had been built and Muslims were excused from paying taxes, this allowed many Muslims from surrounding areas to swell up the town transforming it into a city, it was at this time Dhaka was known as a city rather than a town or Fort.[22][23][24] Mughal documents record subahdar Islam Khan as the first administrator of the city.[25] Islam Khan named the city "Jahangir Nagar" (شهر از جهانگیر; City of Jahangir) in honour of Emperor Jahangir, although this name was dropped soon after Jahangir's death. A major expansion of the city took place under the direction of a general Shaista Khan on orders from the Emperor Aurangzeb in the 17th century.[23][24] The city then measured 19 by 13 kilometres (12 by 8 mi), with a population of nearly one million people and over a 100 universities and hundreds of mosques.[26] Mughal rule was severely weakend after the death of Aurangzeb and control of the Bengal switched hands once more, however it is noted that Mughal expansion and influences can still be seen in the region, as it was under Mughal rule that Islam came to be dominant.Lalbagh Fort (Bengali: লালবাগ কেল্লা) (also Fort Aurangabad) is an incomplete 17th century Mughal fort complex in Dhaka, Bangladesh.[1] The construction was started in 1678 AD by Mughal Subahdar Muhammad Azam Shah who was son of Emperor Aurangzeb and later Emperor himself.
British rule[edit]
The British East India Company in 1765 gained the right to collect revenue (Diwani right) on behalf of the Mughal emperor. East India company became the imperial tax collector. As company's influence grew, East India Company later took on governing in 1793 when the Nawabs of Bengal were forced to relinquish all their authority over Bengal, Bihar and Odisha, and the city passed on to total control of East India company. The city's population shrank dramatically during this period as the prominence of Calcutta rose,[27] but substantive development and modernisation eventually followed. A modern civic water supply system was introduced in 1874 and electricity supply launched in 1878.[28][29] The Dhaka Cantonment was established near the city, serving as a base for British and Bengali soldiers.[24]
20th century[edit]
During the abortive Partition of Bengal in 1905, Dhaka was declared to be the capital of the newly established state of East Bengal and Assam, but Bengal was reunited in 1911.[22][23][24] Following the Partition of India in 1947, Dhaka became the capital of East Pakistan. The city witnessed major communal violence following the partition of India.[24] A large proportion of the city's Hindu population departed for India, while the city received a large influx of Muslims. As the centre of regional politics, however, Dhaka saw an increasing number of political strikes and incidents of violence.[24] The adoption of Urdu as the soleofficial language of Pakistan led to protest marches involving large crowds. Known as the Bengali Language Movement, the protests resulted in Pakistani police firing which killed a number of peaceful student demonstrators.[30] Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Dhaka remained a hotbed of political activity, and the demands for autonomy for the Bengali population. And this population gradually gained momentum.[31]
The 1970 Bhola cyclone devastated much of the region, killed an estimated 500,000 people. The arrest of the Bengali liberation politician Sheikh Mujibur Rahman would also then spark powerful intensive political riots protests and violence against the military dictatorship regime of Pakistani Army officer Ayub Khan.[32] More than half the city was flooded and millions of people were marooned.[33] With public anger growing against ethnic discrimination and poor cyclone relief efforts from the central government, Bengali politician Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman held a nationalist gathering on 7 March 1971 atRamna Racecourse.[24][30] An estimated one million people attended the gathering, leading to the 26 March declaration of Bangladesh's independence.[30] In response, the Pakistan Army launched Operation Searchlight, which led to the arrests, torture and killing of thousands of people.[34] After nine months of bloody battle with Indian Army and Mitra Bahini, the Pakistani Army surrendered to the Joint Forces on 16 December marking the end of the independence war of Bangladesh.[35] Dhaka saw a rapid and huge growth of the city population in the post-independence period, as migrant workers from rural areas across Bangladesh moved to the city.[36] The Pakistan Army's operations killed or displaced many millions of people and homelessness, and the new state struggled to cope with the humanitarian challenges. The year 1975 saw the killing of Sheikh Mujib by army officers and three military coups. The growth of commerce and industry along with the city's population has created further challenges to the services and infrastructure.[37] A real estate boom has followed the expansion of city limits and the development of new settlements such as Uttara, Baridhara, Mirpur and Motijheel. Also lots of diplomatic quarters have opened in Baridhara and businesses such as Grameen and cricket in Mirpur also many corporates in Motijheel. In 1985, Dhaka hosted inaugural meeting of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation important subcontinent cooperation vehicle. It has also played hosted the summits of the D8 group and theOrganisation of the Islamic Conference as it is most populous Muslim country in world.[38] Recently again there are more upheavals in Dhaka till date. In 2012-13 proceedings began to try war criminals and Jamaat collaborators for war crimes and collaborationism, rapes and massacres in 1971, and mass protests broke out among Jamaat collaborationist supporters who support 1971 atrocities. The Awami League supporters counter-protested. Hundreds died in riots and several thousands were injured, especially with the focus point in Shahbag. Also the Pakistani government tried to defend death row war criminals provoking upset among Bengalis leading to riots outside the Pakistan embassy.
Geography[edit]
See also: Geography of Bangladesh
Dhaka is located in central Bangladesh at 23°42′0″N 90°22′30″E, on the eastern banks of the Buriganga River. The city lies on the lower reaches of theGanges Delta and covers a total area of 360 square kilometres (140 sq mi).[39] It consists of 49 thanas – Lalbagh, Kotwali, Hazaribagh, Sutrapur, Ramna,Motijheel, Paltan, Dhanmondi, Mohammadpur, Tejgaon, Gulshan, Mirpur, Pallabi, Shah Ali, Turaag, Sabujbagh, Dhaka Cantonment, Demra, Shyampur,Badda, Kafrul, Kamrangir char, Khilgaon, Uttara etc.[40] In total the city has 130 wards and 725 mohallas.[41] Dhaka District has an area of 1,463.60 square kilometres (565 sq mi) with a population of 18,305,671 in 2012; and is bounded by the districts of Gazipur, Tangail, Munshiganj, Rajbari,Narayanganj, Manikganj.[41] Tropical vegetation and moist soils characterize the land, which is flat and close to sea level. This leaves Dhaka susceptible to flooding during the monsoon seasons owing to heavy rainfall and cyclones.[42]
Climate[edit]
Main article: Climate of Dhaka
Dhaka experiences a hot, wet and humid tropical climate. Under the Köppen climate classification, Dhaka has a tropical savanna climate. The city has a distinct monsoonal season, with an annual average temperature of 25 °C (77 °F) and monthly means varying between 18 °C (64 °F) in January and 32 °C (90 °F) in May.[43] Approximately 87% of the annual average rainfall of 2,123 millimeters (83.5 in) occurs between May and October.[43] Increasing air and water pollution emanating from traffic congestion and industrial waste are serious problems affecting public health and the quality of life in the city.[44]Water bodies and wetlands around Dhaka are facing destruction as these are being filled up to construct multi-storied buildings and other real estate developments. Coupled with pollution, such erosion of natural habitats threatens to destroy much of the regional biodiversity.[44]
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Parks and lakes[edit]
There are many parks within Dhaka city, including Ramna Park, Suhrawardy Udyan, Shishu Park, National Botanical Garden, Baldha Garden,Chandrima Uddan, Gulshan Park and Dhaka Zoo. There are lakes within city, such as Crescent lake, Dhanmondi lake, Baridhara-Gulshan lake,Banani lake, Uttara lake and Hatirjheel-Begunbari lake.
Hatirjheel-Begunbari is a new place of recreation for city dwellers. Hatirjheel covering 320 acres (129 ha) is transformed into a place of festivity at night but with serenity settling down. Consultants from Civil Engineering Department of BUET and engineers of SWO of Bangladesh Army,Roads and Highways Department, Local Government Engineering Department and Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha have worked hard to turn this project into reality.
Civil administration[edit]
The Dhaka municipality was founded on 1 August 1864, and upgraded to "corporation" status in 1978.[48] The Dhaka City Corporation is a self-governing corporation which runs the affairs of the city. Recently(i.e. 2011), Dhaka City Corporation has been divided into two administrative parts – these are (1) Dhaka City Corporation-North and (2) Dhaka City Corporation-South – for ensuring better civic facilities. These two corporations are headed by two administrators. The incorporated area is divided into several wards, which have elected commissioners. TheDhaka Education Board is responsible for administering all public schools and most private schools with the exception of English-medium schools and madrassahs.[49][50] All madrassahs in Bangladesh are governed by a central board while English-medium schools are under separate educational and governance structures.[51]
The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) was established in 1976 and has 6,000 personnel in 12 police stations.[40] With the rapid growth of the city, the force has been raised to 26,661 personnel and the establishment of 49 police stations has been completed.[40][52]
The city is divided into 25 (i.e. 2011) parliamentary constituencies. The two main political parties are the Awami League and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. Ramna contains the Secretariat, which houses most of the government ministries. The Supreme Court of Bangladesh and theDhaka High Court are located in the city. The Bangabhaban palace has served as the official residence of the Viceroy of India, the governor of East Pakistan and presently the President of Bangladesh.[53] The Jatiyo Sangshad Bhaban, designed by renowned architect Louis Kahn,[30] houses theunicameral national parliament. The Baitul Mukarram, developed with a design resembling the Kaaba of Mecca, is the national mosque.[54] Other historical monuments in the city include the Bara Katra palace, the Lalbagh Fort, the Hoseni Dalan and the Ahsan Manzil.[55]
To fight rising traffic congestion and population, the national government has recently implemented a policy for rapid urbanization of surrounding areas and beyond by the introduction of a ten-year relief on income tax for new construction of facilities and buildings outside Dhaka.[56]
Water management[edit]
Main article: Water management in Dhaka
Aside from Chittagong, Dhaka has a water-borne sewage system, but this serves only 22% of the population while another 30% are served with septic tanks.[57] Only two-thirds of households in Dhaka are served by the city water supply system. More than 9.7 million tons of solid wastes are produced in Dhaka city each year. While private and government efforts have succeeded in collecting refuse city-wide and using it as manure, most solid wastes are often dumped untreated in nearby low-lying areas and water bodies.[58] The utility in charge of water and sanitation in Dhaka, DWASA, addresses these challenges with a number of measures. It says that in 2011 it achieved a continuous water supply 24 hours per day 7 days a week, an increase in revenues so that operating costs are more than covered, and a reduction of water losses from 53% in 2003 to 29% in 2010.[59] For these achievements DWASA, got a "Performer of the Year Award" at the Global Water Summit 2011 in Berlin.[60] In the future DWASA plans massive investment to replace dwindling groundwater resources with treated surface water from less polluted rivers located up to 160 km from the city.[59] In 2011 Bangladesh's capital development authority, Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK), made rainwater harvesting for new houses mandatory in an effort to address water scarcity and reduce flooding.
82% of the city's water supply is abstracted from groundwater through 577 deep tube wells, while four relatively small surface water treatment plants provide the remaining 18%.[61] Groundwater levels are dropping at two to three metres every year. The city's water table has sunk by 50 metres in the past four decades and the closest underground water is now over 60 metres below ground level.[62][63] The Asian Development Bank estimated in 2007 that by 2015 a severe supply shortage would occur if the utility did not reduce groundwater abstraction.[64] Nevertheless, DWASA announced in 2012 that it will develop a new wellfield with 46 wells providing 150,000 cubic metres of water per day at a cost of 63 million USD, of which45 million USD will be financed by the government of South Korea.[65]
The utility plans to substitute surface water for groundwater through the construction of four large water treatment plants until 2020 at a cost of1.8 billion USD (Saidabad Phase II and III, Padma/Pagla and Khilkhet). The treatment plants will draw water from more distant and less polluted rivers up to 160 km from the city. The four plants are expected to have a combined capacity of 1.63 million cubic metres per year, compared to a 2010 supply of 2.11 million cubic metre per year that is mainly from groundwater. As of 2011, funding had been secured for the first plant which is under construction thanks to a 250 million USD contribution from Danish development assistance.[59] In 2012 the government signed a contract with a Chinese company to build a water treatment plant at Munshiganj on the Padma River. The project costs 407 million USD, of which 290.8 million USD is financed by a soft loan from the Chinese government, the remainder coming from the Bangladeshi government.[66]
Economy[edit]
See also: Economy of Bangladesh
Dhaka is the commercial heart of Bangladesh.[67] The city has a growing middle class population, driving the market for modern consumer and luxury goods.[23][68] The city has historically attracted a large number of migrant workers.[69] Hawkers, peddlers, small shops, rickshaw transport, roadside vendors and stalls employ a large segment of the population[69][70] — rickshaw-drivers alone number as many as 400,000.[71] Half the workforce is employed in household and unorganised labour, while about 800,000 work in the textile industry. Even so, unemployment remains high at 19%.[72] As of 2008, Dhaka's Gross Municipal Product (GMP) is registered at $85 billion.[73] With an annual growth rate of 6.2%, the GMP is projected to rise to $215 billion by 2025.[73] The annual per capita income of Dhaka is estimated at $1,350(USD), with 34% of households living below the poverty line,[74] including a large segment of the population coming from rural areas in search of employment,[68] with most surviving on less than $5 a day.[75]
The main commercial areas of the city include Motijheel, Dilkusha, Paltan, New Market, Shahbag, Gulshan, Mohakhali, Karwan Bazar and Farmgate, while Tejgaon and Hazaribagh are the major industrial areas. A lot of leather processed and put together in Hazaribagh and the large Basundhara shopping mall is in Tejgaon along with the main factories of newspapers and radios as well as the airport.[76] Bashundhara-Baridhara is a developing economic area that will include high-tech industries, corporations and a large shopping precinct in about 5 years.[68] The Export Processing Zone in Dhaka was set up to encourage the export of garments, textiles and other goods. Dhaka has two EPZs. They are home to 413 industries, which employ mostly women. Garment industry is major employer in Dhaka but is also dangerous due to overcorwding and dangerous buildings.[77] The Dhaka Stock Exchange is based in the city, including many large multinationals and BRAC are based in Dhaka.[78] Country's central bank Bangladesh Bank and Nobel Peace Prize winning organization Grameen Bank have their head-quarters in Dhaka and Country's first land development bank Progoti Co-operative Land Development Bank Limited (Progoti Bank) has its head office in the Division of Dhaka.[79] Urban developments have sparked a widespread construction boom; new high-rise buildings and skyscrapers have changed the city landscape.[68] Growth has been especially strong in the finance, banking, manufacturing, telecommunications and services sectors, while tourism, hotels and restaurants continue as important elements in the economy of Dhaka.[69]
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