Dhaka in list of 20 most unsustainable megacities in world: ETR

Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, is one of the 20 most unsustainable megacities in the world, as per a new climate report released on Wednesday.

The report titled, “Ecological Threat Report (ETR)” found that South Asia is home to eight of the world’s 20 most unsustainable megacities, with half of the cities in India alone.

Produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), featuring exclusive research from the Lloyd’s Register Foundation World Risk Poll, the Ecological Threat Report tracks the links between climate change, ecological threats, and violent conflict or forced migration each year.

Dhaka, Lahore, Kolkata, Delhi, Karachi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Hyderabad are eight of the 20 cities facing the highest population growth and worst vulnerability to ecological threats.

Bangladesh has seen 254 natural disasters since 1981, according to the ETR report.

Many South Asian countries and cities exemplify the challenge of managing growing populations and ecological threats.

For example, Dhaka, a city of 22.6 million people, is affected by ecological changes in several ways.

It floods regularly, it is one of the most densely populated cities in the world, and the city struggles to deal with waste, said the ETR.

Bangladesh consistently rates as one of the most affected countries by flooding and cyclones. Much of the country is about six metres above sea level, though its coastal areas are much lower.

Depending on the rates of sea level rise, an estimated 15 to 30 million Bangladeshis could be displaced from coastal areas.

It has been shown that approximately 90 million Bangladeshis live in “high climate exposure areas,” with around 53 million subjected to “very high” exposure.

The UNDP, other UN agencies and NGOs have looked to support Bangladesh with initiatives including resilience-building, emission reductions from fossil fuel-based power, and better flood-preparedness.

Dhaka, a city of 22.6 million people, is affected by ecological changes in several ways. The city is located in an area of just 360 square kilometres, making it one of the more densely populated cities in the world (with 29,000 inhabitants per square kilometre).

This high density, combined with rapid urbanisation, means a third of the city’s population cannot rely on piped water.

Many residents end up in informal settlements, with the Korail slum growing from 40,000 inhabitants in 2011 to around 150,000 in 2021.

The city is impacted by regular floods, which are only likely to increase.

As it is low lying it may be affected by sea level rises, while also coping with infrastructure problems, particularly in transport, water, waste and energy.

Dhaka struggles to provide good living conditions to its residents due to its inability to deal with waste.

The city generates approximately 5,000 tons of waste a day, but only half is properly collected and disposed of.

Dhaka has been one of the fastest-growing cities in the world, between 1990 and 2005 the city’s population doubled from 6 million to 12 million.

The city’s population is further expected to increase, rising to 35 million from its current population of 23 million, an increase of 53 percent. One reason for this growth is that about 2,000 people move to the city daily.

Dhaka’s rapid urbanisation highlights its central role in Bangladesh’s drive to move from being a low-income to a middle-income country.

The city generates around one-fifth of Bangladesh’s total economic output and provides more than 40 percent of its formal sector jobs.