Citizens’ Access to Urban Environmental Information in Dhaka: Understanding the Patterns, Processes and Requirements

Abstract

Dhaka is one of the most densely populated and rapidly growing cities in the world with 1.48 crore population and it has been acute facing environmental challenges due to rapid and unplanned urbanisation. Urban environmental information plays a crucial role for urban development, which helps city dwellers be aware of city environment and policymakers take right policies. So, understanding the patterns and processes of urban environment is a key to make information available to city dwellers. Thus, this study aims to understand the patterns and process of unban environmental information of Dhaka city. The household survey adopted for this study reveals an overview of the present status of urban environmental information dissemination while qualitative survey has explored the patterns and processes of urban environmental information of Dhaka city. Both the qualitative and quantitative surveys find that there is no integrated system in Dhaka city to disseminate urban environment information to the city dwellers. The ineffective urban environmental information dissemination is restricting the planned urban development and accelerating sufferings of city dwellers. Urban environmental information is being disseminated in the city in a haphazard manner. There is no central organisation, which collects urban environmental information. Access to urban environmental information is very crucial in coping with the environmental problems. But, Dhaka city experiences show that city dwellers have a little access to urban environmental information for lack of a proper dissemination system. The qualitative survey finds lack of coordination and the negligence of the authorities concerned are found to be the main underlying causes behind poor dissemination of urban environmental information. Although around 54 government bodies are involved in urban governance, they have no coordination at all. There is also poor governance in environmental information dissemination like other sectors in Dhaka city, which makes the city dwellers’ lives miserable. Media always play a vital role in disseminating urban environmental information and city dwellers are highly dependent on media to get urban environmental information. During the household survey, about 89.7 percent of respondents found media’s involvement in urban environmental information and think that media should play better role in this regard. The key reasons, which contribute to poor dissemination of urban environmental information, and the patterns and processes of the information, are analysed to suggest steps and policy guidelines towards introduction of an urban environmental information system for Dhaka city.