Drainage and Water Logging in Pabna Municipality of Bangladesh: A Case Study

Abstract

The increasing quantity of sewage flow is a growing environmental problem in many developing cities like Pabna. Pabna bears a moderate and pleasant climate and the rainy season comes here at the end of June and stays up to September. People have been facing water logging problem particularly during rainy season for several decades. Improper drainage facility causes water logging, thus leading to serious public health risk and environmental degradation. This paper presents the existing drainage system and water logging problem of ward no. 5 of Pabna municipality. The valuable information was collected from the householders through questionnaire and field visit to the study area during May, 2018 to April, 2019. The ward map, sewer network maps, rainfall data, etc. were collected from Pabna Municipality and Bangladesh Water Development Board. The sewer network maps were superimposed on GIS-based map of Pabna city. The collected information and data were then analysed. The existing sewer system would be capable to accommodate the present and future (up to 2050) sewage flows and is not able to accommodate the storm flows generated from the study area. However the capacity of sewer decreases due to sedimentation of sludge, accumulation of solid waste, vegetation in drains, discontinuity of drains, etc., thus causing water logging in the study area. About 80% of the study area is being affected by water logging in the rainy season every year. The study helps understand the nature, type and magnitude of drainage and water logging problem faced by the dwellers of Pabna municipality.