Title:

Hiking Land Value & the Deteriorating Environmental

Situation of Dhaka City.

Abstract

Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, accommodating a huge

population (14.6 million), heavy traffic, excess urban

structures, is also the center of all the socio-economic

and cultural activities. In a medium size urban area of 125square miles (325 sq.km.) the density of population is 115,000

people /sq.mile (45,000 sq.km.) in Dhaka city. (RISE Society, 2013).

Additionally, a large number of people from all corners of

the country influx everyday into the city to reside and to

commute for various purposes. Needless to say, in such a

dynamic and densely inhabited city, an integrated

infrastructural management plan has to be established to

ensure the proper and maximum utilization of the land,

while keeping the city environment healthy and safe for

its inhabitants. The present study is an attempt to find

out the degree of demand for land in the city, causing

excessive pressure upon the land market, and causing an

escalating rise in land value -rational or not. The

deterioration done to the city environment for over and

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improper land use is also shown in the study, as this

sector is also important for a healthy city planning.

Introduction:

Dhaka city, termed as a “Garden City” by James Taylor

(1840), was a small town with numerous khals and marshy

lands, surrounded by rivers named-Buriganga, Balu, Turag

and Tongi in four sides. There were enough open landscapes

in early 1900(1184 acres; Geddes,1917) and even in the mid

1900s (1338 acres; Minoprio & Spencely,1959).But the huge number

of people migrating towards Dhaka after the Liberation war

for various reasons turned Dhaka into a overcrowded

megacity. However, the city has been expanded upto 590

sq.miles by the Dhaka Metropolitan Development Plan

(1993), the amount of open spaces reduced to an

insignificant amount. Consequently, constantly increasing

pressure upon the city land for residential, commercial,

and other many types of land use purposes, led the urban

market into an unstable condition. Greedy land grabbers,

developers, and other related organizations are

accelerating the value of land in response to the high

demand for land. On the other hand, people also find

investing money in land market safer and profit maximizing

within a short period of time. But, this malpractice is

destructing the environment of the city as almost all the2

open spaces, vegetation and water bodies has been occupied

to provide more land. The present study attempts to find

out the trend of accelerating land value through the time

span of about 40 years (from 1974-2012).The effect of

high land value upon the city environment will be

discussed as a resultant of unplanned and over use of the

land.

Methodology:

i) Objective: The main objective of the study is to find

out the influence on the city environment as a consequence

of accelerating land value through the time span of almost

40 years.

To achieve the main objective three secondary objectives has to be reached. These are:

a) to depict a chronological portray of land value in the study area,b) to depict the gradual environmental deterioration of the study area, and c) to suggest the ways to mitigate the destruction with a view to refurbishment of healthy environment of the study area.

ii) Sample Area: The sample area of the present study is the Dhaka city area between the river Buriganga in the south, Tongi khal in the north, river Turag in the west and the river Balu in the east.

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iii) Data Sources: The data had been collected from the main two sources like--

a) Primary Sources, such as- field survey, questionnaire survey.

b) Secondary Sources, such as books, journals, reports, satellite imageries, unpublished thesis, etc.

iii) Data Presentation: The data derived from different

sources has been processed, checked, and cross-checked to

prove authenticity. Tabular forms and maps have been used

to present the derived data.

Chronology of Land Value in Dhaka City:

Land Value Characteristic in Dhaka City: 1974

The land value surface map of Dhaka City in 1974 confirms

the pattern of the Classic Value-Distance Relationship

(Map 1). There is a general decline in land value from

city center towards the periphery with a number of ups and

downs along the profile. The main characteristic of land

value in Dhaka in 1974 was like below:

(i) it had two peak value zones, one peak area centered

around the Gulistan intersection of the Bangabandhu

Avenue, and the other one occupied the Islampur road and

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extended up to Chauk Bazar area. The zones showed the

values of over tk. 35 per sq.ft. (Tk.4 9.50 /m)

(ii) the two peak value zones were joined by an elongated

stretch of land on both sides of the Nawabpur road, where

the average value ranged from tk. 25-30/sq. ft (9.50

taka/sq. m.)

(iii) The iso-value belts tended to be distributed

concentrically and dense belts were wider in the new area

of Dhaka city.

(iv) These value belts were in somewhat concentric

arrangements and were found with a decline in value, away

from the center.

(v) The concentric trends of iso-value belts were

distributed by many factors of which 'topography' was the

most important.

(vi) From the center to the east, south and west,

availability of build able land was limited and invariably

the iso-value belts were thin and constricted.

(vii) In the north and north-west of the center, three

wide tracts of high-quality lands are found. Consequently,

the iso-value belts were wider and evenly distributed

here.

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(viii) Low land values encountered in all directions

within a short distance from the city center excepting the

northern sector. Low lands with value of 0.50

taka/sq.ft.,was encountered in east, south, and western

sectors within two miles from the city center.

(ix) The ratio between the central and peripheral values

in the three directions towards east, south, and west was

1:20, where in the northern sector the ratio was 1:18.

This represents that the growth of the city was more

towards north than the other three sides. This mostly

happened for the presence of high buildable land towards

north and low submerged land on the other three

directions.

(x) Besides the planned area of the C.B.D, there were

other two planned commercial areas- the New Market area

and the commercial areas on the Mymensingh road near

Karwan Bazar. These areas showed high land value like 25

take per sq.ft. (9.50 taka /sq.m.).

(xi) The residential areas like Dhanmondi, Mohammadpur,

Mirpur and Gulshan had uniformity from the view point of

topography, plot size, and residential amenities including

water sewage, electricity, roads & communication, shopping

centers etc. facilities. Accordingly, the land value was

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mostly uniform here ranging from tk. 4.00 -10.00 per sq.

ft.

Land Value Characteristics in Dhaka City: 1998

The land value surface map of Dhaka city in 1998 showed that,

the Classic Value-Distance Relationship became almost

inapplicable after 1980s.By 1998, the land value characteristic

turned into a complex, and integrated one, where the

physiographic and socio-economic conditions exerted strong

influence. At the verge of the 20th century, while people

became more concerned about his socio-economic life, political

situation, international relationships and many other

strategies, the previously considered prime factors, like-

distance from the city centre, land use pattern, physiographic

situation, etc. were no more the key factors for determining

the land value. It really became challenging to figure out a

pattern or zone for land value in Dhaka City at that period.

Consequently, some commercial & residential land use areas,

showing generalized range of land value has been shown in the

map (Map 2). The land value characteristics here did not follow

any of the classic land-value concepts entirely, though there

were some similarities. The main characteristic were like

below:

(i) There were two-peak value zones like-the Gulshan-

Banani commercial areas (Tk. 35-45 lakh/ katha), and the

Motijheel Commercial area (30-35 lakh / katha),

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(ii) There were two other main commercial areas in Karwan

Bazar & Banani along with the C.B.D. in Motijheel and

Dilkusha. These commercial areas showed the second highest

land value. The value of Gulshan residential plots were

the same (tk.35-45 lakh/ katha) as those of commercial

plots in 1998. The unlawful use of the residential plots

for commercial purpose turned the residential plots into a

unit of mixed land use. The land value of the high-class

residential areas ranged from tk.25-30 lakh/katha in

Dhanmondi, Gulshan, Banani, and Baridhara, adjacent to the

Ambassador’s zone.

(iv)The curvilinear graph of value has been depicted by

some ups and downs towards northeast and west sides in the

high-class areas.

(v) The high, middle, and low-middle class areas like—

Uttara, Uttar Khan, Dakshin Khan, Joarsharara, Badda,

Maghbazar, Malibagh, Eskaton, Sidheshwari, Shantinagar,

Segun Bagicha, Kamalapur, Mohammadpur, Rayerbazar,

Hazaribagh, Azimpur, Lalbagh, Chawlk Bazar, Green Road,

Kalabagan, Kathal Bagan, etc. residential areas,

illustrated gradual decline of land value away from the

C.B.D. (tk.25 to tk.5 lakh / katha).The land value in the

eastern and western fringe areas were the lowest (tk.3-5

lakh/katha), in Green Road, Azimpur, Lalbagh etc. areas 8

land values were of medium range (tk.10-15 lakh/katha) and

in Shantinagar, Eskaton, Segunbagicha the value was the

highest (tk.10-20 lakh/katah).

(vi) The fringe areas were occupied by the lower middle

and lower income group population,like Uttar Khan,Dakshin

Khan, Dumni, Gandaria, Postagola, etc. in the eastern

side, and Char Kamrangi, Rayerbazr low land, Shamoly Ring

road, Adabor, etc. in the western side of Dhaka city. The

land value in these areas ranged from tk.1-5 lakh/katha.

(vii) The deviation between the central and peripheral

land value became more uniformed while RAJUK developed a

master plan in 1997 to expand the city, and establish the

urban structural facilities like-road & transport, gas,

water, electricity, etc. evenly in all directions for a

span of time from 1995-2015. (DMDP,1993).

(ix)The land value in the fringe areas increased gradually

in the last one and half decades (1980-1998) as the

government, semi-government, and private developers

established housing plots,apartments, roads, and other

urban infra-structural facilities there. The value of

these built-up areas varied from tk. 3-6 lakh/katha in

1998, while it was about tk. 40-60 thousand/katha only

around 5-10 years back.

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(x) The development work of RAJUK in the adjacent areas of

the Gulshan-Banani-Baridhara lake and Dhanmodi lake

escalate the land value in those areas (tk.25-45

lakh/katha).

(xi) As a consequence of the unplanned growth and

development of the city, the land value pattern

demonstrated no particular form. In reality, the city with

an area of 360 sq.km., accommodating a population

exceeding 16 million tended to grow by itself as a living

organism. The congested road network, mixed land use,

etc. almost obscured the distinction between different

land use areas.

Table 1: Chronological Portray of Land Value Rise in Dhaka City

(1974-2012) : Land Areas Year 1974

Value of Land

(tk./sq.ft.)

Year 1998

Value of Land (lakh tk./

Katha)

Year 2012

Value of Land (tk. /

Katha)

Lakh & Crore

Uttara Tk .25-1 Tk. 5-7 Tk. 75-90

Badda Tk .25-1 Tk. 3-6 Tk. 40-50

Baridhara Tk .25-1 Tk. 25-35 Tk. 50-60

Gulshan Tk. 4-10 Tk. 25-45 Tk. 2 -3 crore

Mohakhali Tk. 5-6 Tk. 5-10 Tk. 70 lakh -1crore

Goran Tk .25-1 Tk. 2-5 Tk. 40-60

Bashabo Tk .25-1 Tk. 2-5 Tk. 40-60

Kamalapur Tk. 1-2 Tk. 2-5 Tk. 40-60

Gendaria Tk. 1-2 Tk. 2-5 Tk. 40-60

Motijheel Tk. 35 Tk. 30-35 Tk. 2-3 crore

Shantinagar Tk. 1-2 Tk. 15-25 Tk. 60-80

Karwan Bazar Tk. 25 Tk. 35-45 Tk. 1-2 crore

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Shamoly Tk. 1-2 Tk. 5-7 Tk. 50-70

DOHS Tk .25-1 Tk.25-30 Tk. 70 lakh -1 crore

Banani Tk .25-1 Tk. 35-45 Tk. 2-3 crore

Mirpur Tk. 4-10 Tk. 5-8 Tk. 50-70

Kallayanpur Tk .25-1 Tk. 5-8 Tk. 40-60

Mohammadpur Tk. 4-10 Tk. 3-5 Tk. 60-80

Lalmatia Tk. 1-2 Tk. 3-5 Tk. 60-80

Dhanmondi Tk. 4-10 Tk. 25-30 Tk. 1-2 crore

Azimpur Tk. 25-30 Tk. 10-15 Tk. 70 lakh -1crore

Uttar Khan &

Dakshin Khan

Tk .25-1 Tk. 3-6 Tk. 25-40

Source: Khan, 1974, Ahmad, 1998, & Present Study, 2013 **1.The Land Value of the year 1998 & 2012 has been collected from main three sources,

like- landowners, developers, and secondary sources ,such as newspaper, internet,&

articles.

*2.The Land value shown in the study of some areas like- Gulshan, Baridhara, Banani,

Dhanmondi, Lalmatia, Azimpur, Mirpur, Mohammadpur,etc. is the average of the residential

and commercial land plots.

*3.The mixed land use pattern of nearly all the areas of Dhaka city, and the current

practice of selling apartments in terms of tk/sq.feet made it complicated to identify the

actual value of the land.

C) Land Value Characteristics in Dhaka City: 2012

i) The difference between the central and peripheral land value in

the recent years were very little as numerous developers, both

public and private, along with RAJUK, developed urban structures

like- housing plots,apartments, roads & transport, gas, water,

electricity, etc. uncompromisingly in all directions to accommodate

the constantly growing residential inhabitants, which emerged as

huge profit business as well. This motivated the manifold raise in

land value. Actually, the land value demanded for a piece of land

has become one’s personal desires. The value fixed by the government

is not followed in any area of the city. However, Map 3 shows a

pattern of land value in the recent years.

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(ii) In the last ten to fifteen years, the land value of the fringe

areas, like-Uttar Khan & Dakshin Khan (tk.25-40lakh), Rampura-

Banasri, Badda (tk.40-50 lakh), Shaymoli ring road area, Adabor

(tk.50-70 lakh), Khilkhet, Joarshahra (tk.40-60 lakh), Dumni, etc.

had experienced rapid rise as the government, semi-government, and

private developers established housing estates, high-rise

apartments, roads, and other urban infra-structural facilities. The

value of these built-up areas varied from tk.10-12 lakh/katha in

2012, tk.3-6 lakh/katha in 2000, while it was about tk.40-60

thousand/katha only around 5-10 years back.

(iii) The planned residential areas like Purbachal, and Uttara,

Nikunja, etc. shows no relationship with the physical or structural

amenities. Rather the value of the lands has been fixed by the

government.

(iv) Recently, the land value of the areas near the Gulshan-Banani-

Baridhara Lake and Dhanmodi lake raised abruptly, as the areas are

under RAJUK planning (tk.25-45 lakh/katha in 2000 and tk.10 million/

katha and above in 2012).

Mode of Land Value Rise in Dhaka City (1974-2012):

The tendency of land value rise (Table 1) through a time span of

nearly 40 years (1974 - 2012), shows that, the land value in Dhaka

City mostly did not follow any trend or pattern as most parts of the

city areas grew in a much unplanned way. The mode is like below:

i) From 1970 to 2012, value of a piece of commercial land raised

about 135% *,

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ii) According to land developers in a period of 2000-2007,the value

of residential land increased around 35 %,while the general

customers demanded that the land value raised about 300 % *,

iii) According to REHAB, the land value increased about 344 % and

214 % accordingly in the new and old commercial areas Mohakhali,

and Motijheel Commercial area (Sayeda Akter,2010) *,

iv) According to REHAB, the residential land value in a highly

congested middle income group residential area like Azimpur

accelerated upto 118 %.On the other hand, Sheltech, in a study

conducted in 2007 shows that, high income group residential areas

like Gulshan, Banani, and Baridhara experienced a land value rise

up to 250% in the last 35 years,* (*Sayeda Akter,2010) .

Map 4 : Land Value Rise (per Katha) in Dhaka City :2000-2007

Source: Daily Star, December 26, 2010.

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However, the city, with an area of 360 sq. km. and population of

around 14.6 million, tends to grow by itself as a living being,

coping to accommodate a large number of people migrating from all

parts of the country, mainly for socio-economic, commercial and

educational purposes. As a consequence, it experiences heavily

congested roads & highways, high rise structures, heavy traffic,

extreme level of environmental pollution, and very indistinctly

demarcated and mixed type of land use, etc.

Influence of Land Value on City Environment:

From the early 80s, the already densely inhabited Dhaka city

experienced high economic growth accompanied by rapid urbanization.

Consequently, the huge influx of population accelerated the need for

supply of food, shelter, transport, education, residential land

plots, and the basic environmental healthiness for the city

dwellers. The high demand of land for various reasons increased the

value of land manifolds making the land owners and the developers

greedy to get a high profit from the land sector. Almost all the

unused and underused lands like, agricultural, open lands, vacant

lands, play ground & fields, low lying marshy lands, khals, river

banks, etc. are being encroached by the land traders to sell or

develop land by the earth filling process. The whole procedure of

acquiring, grabbing, selling or even developing land is mostly being

done illegally. Accordingly, deterioration in every aspect of city

environment like-air, water, soil, and biodiversity has become a

common scenario. The main sectors of the city environment, where

deterioration occurred are stated below:

1. Loss of Agricultural Land:

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Due to the excessive pressure upon land, agricultural land has been

turned into residential plots in an accelerating rate. A study shows

that, during the period from 1991-2008, net loss of agricultural

land was 14.59%, while vegetation had a net loss of 16.92% area in

Dhaka city. (Source: Islam & Ahmed, 2011).

2. Loss of Water bodies & Wet Lands:

After occupying the high lands of Dhaka city’s central part, the low

lying water bodies and marshy lands on both side of the city was

occupied by all category of land developers. A study shows that,

there has been a loss of 23.57% of wet/lowlands and a gain of

24.85% with a net gain of 1.28% (1991-2008). The same study shows

that, there was no gain in the area of water bodies during the

periods 1991-2008, but the area lost 10.27% in that period. (Islam

& Ahmed, 2011). Only 13 khals of the previous 35 khals of Dhaka city

exists now as the others were land filled for providing plots.

3. Groundwater Overexploitation:

In Dhaka city, about 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%. The

over exploitation of groundwater caused the water level drop by two

to three meters every year. The city’s water table has sunk by 50

meters in the past four decades and the closest underground water is

now over 60 meters below ground level. An estimation shows that, by

2015, an acute shortage of water supply would occur if groundwater

abstraction is not reduced. However, in 2012, ECNEC

(Executive Committee of National Economic Council,Bangladesh)

decided to develop a new well field with 46 wells providing 150,000

cubic meters of water per day by DWASA (OOSKAnews, 19 October 2012).

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4. Loss of Open / Green spaces:

The first Master Plan of Dhaka (1958) suggested that, there should

be at least 480 hectors of open space in Dhaka city for a better

city environment. However, the open space of the city decreased to

318 hectors in 1978 (Minoprio,Spencley & Macfarlane,1959),21% of the

total area of Dhaka city was of open landscape type (Rahman,1998)

and recently it is feared that the city contains less than 60

hectors of open space (Dhaka City State of Environment,2005).The

rapidly diminishing green areas, such as the parks and playgrounds

are encroached upon illegally both by the land developers as well as

the poor rootless people. Likewise, the open spaces once found

around the government quarters in Azimpur, Sobhanbag and Mirpur has

been occupied by new buildings erected to make room for more

government officials.

Vegetation:

Vegetation is natural store of carbon and source of oxygen. Presence

of vegetation in significant amount in urban area is helps to reduce

sound and air pollution since leaves of trees make a huge surface

area for settling down of dust particles and absorption of noise.

Vegetation abundance influences environmental conditions and energy

fluxes by selective reflection and absorption of solar radiation, by

modulation of evapotranspiration and by sequestration of pollutants.

Ecosystem services such as fresh air generation, maintenance of

local hydrogeology for perpetuation of fresh water supply and

balancing the temperature for the dwellers depend on the amount and

quality of green spaces (Mahfujur Rahman, 2009) .The loss of green

and /or open spaces of Dhaka city has a dreadful impact upon the

city environment as the above mentioned natural procedures of

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maintaining a healthy ecosystem has been disrupted by over

exploitation of these lands.

5. Increase in Air Pollution / Temperature rise:

Over use of land in Dhaka city not only enhances the chance of both

indoor and outdoor air pollution and rise in temperature as well.

The increasing rate of urbanization results into high rise

apartments- poorly ventilated, congested and suffocating, roads over

flown by traffic-exhausting toxic fumes, fully concrete grounds–

accelerating the air temperature, 1,000 brick kilns, dust from roads

and construction sites , and toxic fumes from industrial sites are

major sources of air pollution

which is turned the city into a heat island.,

According to the Department of Environment (DoE), the density of

airborne particulate matter (PM) reaches 463 micrograms per cubic

meter (mcm) in the city during December-March period –which is

measured as the highest level in the world. An estimated 15,000

premature deaths, as well as several million cases of pulmonary,

respiratory and neurological illness are attributed to poor air

quality in Dhaka, according to the Air Quality Management Project

(AQMP), funded by the government and the World Bank. The phasing out

of petrol-driven two-stroke auto-rickshaws in 2003 and their

replacement with four-stroke versions, which use a much cleaner

burning fuel (compressed natural gas), significantly decreased the

volume of air contaminants. But, according to DoE sources, a sharp

increase in the number of vehicles and construction sites after the

2000s led to a declination of Dhaka city’s air quality (Shohagh &

Tapas,2009).

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Measures have to be taken to stop further contamination of the

natural environment and find the processes of mitigation of the

damages already done to the city. Otherwise, excessive effluence

emitted from the traffic, industries, sewerage, household garbage,

heat generated from the brick-roads, vehicles, electronics, like-air

conditioners, excessive extraction of ground water, etc. will bring

destruction in the total ecosystem of the city. For that reason,

existing city environment condition has to be restored and

refurbished and the sustainability of the city’s future environment

has to be confirmed.

Fig.1: Three Basic Components of City Environment

Source: Present Study, 2013

While planning for the city in future, the planners must be concern

about avoiding further damage in the three spheres of the city

environment, such as-land, water, and air.

Ways to Mitigate the Deterioration:

1. Conserve the existing agricultural land in the fringe areas of

the city,

2. Prevent further exploitation of water bodies & wet lands,

3. Regulate groundwater overexploitation,

4. Mitigate the loss and exploitation of open / green spaces, and

5. Control the increase in air pollution and temperature rise.

Conclusion:

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Tremendous pressure of continually growing population, escalating

economic activities, and comparatively greater investment in land

and housing considering it a secure sector, resulted into towering

demand for land for housing, industrial, commercial activities, road

construction, etc. The continuous high demand of land and poor

governance of the law enforcing agencies and planners helped to

create a new business sector of land and housing. In this sector,

both legally and illegally all types of land, water bodies, rivers

and khals is being grabbed and sold at excessive value. To ensure

the existence of the city an integrated management planning has to

be taken and implied.

Reference:

Dhaka Metropolitan Development Plan:1995-2015,DMDP Project, RAJUK,Dhaka,1993.

Dhaka City State of Environment:2005, Department of Environment, Ministry of Environment & Forest,Bangladesh,2003. Geddes, Patrick (1917), Report on Dacca City Planning: 1917 (translated by Abdul Mohaimen),Dhaka City Museum,Dhaka,1990.

Khan,A.M.M.Amanatullah (1975),Land Value Pattern in Dhaka City, The Oriental Geographer,Vol. ix & xx, No.1&2, The Bangladesh Geographical Society, Department of Geography, University of Dhaka, Dhaka.

Mahfujur Rahman,Preserving Green Spaces in Dhaka city, The Daily Star, Saturday,3rd October,2009.http://archive.thedailystar.net/newDesign/archive.php?date=2009-10-03

Md. Shahidul Islam & Raquib Ahmed (2011), Land use change predictionin Dhaka city using GIS aided Markov Chain Modeling, Journal of Life Earth Science, Vol.6: 81-89, ISSN 1990-4827

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Institute of Environmental Science, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi.

http://banglajol.info.index.php/JLES © 2011, JLES, RU

Minoprio, Spencley & Macfarlane (1959), Master Plan for Dacca:1959, Dacca Improvement Trust (D.I.T.), Dhaka.

OOSKAnews, 19 October 2012, Water_management_in_Dhaka, report on Bangladesh's Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC),16 October, 2012.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_management_in_Dhaka

RISE Society, A look into Dhaka, Bangladesh: The most densely populated city in the world, Initiative for Social Equity Society, RISE Society, March 9, 2013.http://risebd.com/2013/03/09/a-look-into-dhaka-bangladesh-the-most-densely-populated-city-in-the-world/

Saima Ahmad (2007), Geomorphological Control Over Land Value & Land Utilization in Dhaka City: A Study in Applied Geomorphology, unpublished M.Phil Thesis, Dept. of Geography & Environment, University of Dhaka, Dhaka.

1. Sayeda Akter, (2010), Where to Live: Behind soaring land prices, The Daily Star, 14th November,2013.http://archive.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=167371

Shohagh,Md. & Tapas,(2009), Air pollution in Dhaka,Department of Geography & Environmental Studies, University of Chittagong, The Daily Star, Thursday,7th November,2013.http://bangladeshenvironment.com/index.php/polution-s/air-polution/286-air-pollution-in-dhaka

Taylor, James (1840), Topography of Dacca, (Translated by Md.Asaduzzaman titled Kompani Amala Dhaka), Bangla Academy, 1993.

Ziaur Rahman (1998), A Study of Open Spaces in Dhaka City, unpublished B.Sc. Thesis,

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Department of Environmental Studies, North South University, Dhaka.

___________________________

AuthorSaima AhmadAssistant Professor, Geography & Environment,School of Social Sciences Humanities & Languages,Bangladesh Open University, Gazipur 1705.

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