Dhaka is hurtling toward environmental catastrophe unless immediate steps are taken to restore the city’s ecological balance — warns a new study by the research and advocacy organization Change Initiative.
Presented at a press conference at Dhaka hotel recently, the report titled 'Dhaka without nature? Rethinking Natural Rights Led Urban Sustainability' paints a dire portrait of the capital’s urban and environmental future.
Based on 44 years of satellite imagery and data analysis, the research reveals a staggering sevenfold increase in densely populated areas, a 60% loss of wetlands, and a 3–5°C rise in land surface temperatures (LST) since 1980.
These dramatic changes, driven by mismanagement and unregulated urban sprawl, have turned Dhaka into one of the most ecologically vulnerable megacities in the world.
