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Can Dhaka Become a Sponge City? A Qualitative Assessment of Urban Water Governance


Authors : Mohammad Mahabubul Haque; Piash Kumar Ghosh; Abu Sied; Md. Sirajul Islam

Volume/Issue : Volume 11 - 2026, Issue 7 - July


Google Scholar : https://tinyurl.com/2het6mbf

Scribd : https://tinyurl.com/mtttabr7

DOI : https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/26jul587

Note : A published paper may take 4-5 working days from the publication date to appear in PlumX Metrics, Semantic Scholar, and ResearchGate.


Abstract : Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh is having a problem with waterlogging and flooding in the city. This is happening because of things like too many people moving to the city, not enough good drainage systems losing natural wetlands building on canals and climate change. When it rains a lot the water is too much for the cities drainage system to handle. This causes problems with transportation, damage to buildings affects people’s health and costs a lot of money. The people in charge of the city are not working well together, which makes it harder to manage the water. This is why Dhaka needs a way to manage water that is good for the environment and can handle climate change. The Sponge City idea is a way to manage water in cities. It helps cities to absorb, store and clean rainwater of just letting it flow away. This idea uses spaces like parks, wetlands and green roofs and combines them with the city’s existing drainage system. This helps to reduce flooding makes the water cleaner and makes the city stronger. To make this idea work the city needs to plan work together have good policies and invest in good infrastructure. This study is trying to figure out if Dhaka can really use the Sponge City idea. It is looking at how the city manages water how the institutions work what policies are in place and what challenges there are. The study is talking to people and looking at policy documents to find out what is stopping Dhaka from using the Sponge City idea and what can be done to make it work. The goal is to give advice to policymakers to help them make better decisions adapt to climate change and reduce flooding.

Keywords : Sponge City, Urban Water Governance, Dhaka, Waterlogging, Climate Change, Nature-Based Solutions, Green Infrastructure, Bangladesh.

References :

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Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh is having a problem with waterlogging and flooding in the city. This is happening because of things like too many people moving to the city, not enough good drainage systems losing natural wetlands building on canals and climate change. When it rains a lot the water is too much for the cities drainage system to handle. This causes problems with transportation, damage to buildings affects people’s health and costs a lot of money. The people in charge of the city are not working well together, which makes it harder to manage the water. This is why Dhaka needs a way to manage water that is good for the environment and can handle climate change. The Sponge City idea is a way to manage water in cities. It helps cities to absorb, store and clean rainwater of just letting it flow away. This idea uses spaces like parks, wetlands and green roofs and combines them with the city’s existing drainage system. This helps to reduce flooding makes the water cleaner and makes the city stronger. To make this idea work the city needs to plan work together have good policies and invest in good infrastructure. This study is trying to figure out if Dhaka can really use the Sponge City idea. It is looking at how the city manages water how the institutions work what policies are in place and what challenges there are. The study is talking to people and looking at policy documents to find out what is stopping Dhaka from using the Sponge City idea and what can be done to make it work. The goal is to give advice to policymakers to help them make better decisions adapt to climate change and reduce flooding.

Keywords : Sponge City, Urban Water Governance, Dhaka, Waterlogging, Climate Change, Nature-Based Solutions, Green Infrastructure, Bangladesh.

Paper Submission Last Date
31 - July - 2026

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