Today, that proud legacy is in danger. Unplanned growth, illegal land grabs, garbage dumping, and neglect have turned flowing canals into stagnant waste pits. Where boats once moved and children played, people now face bad smells, mosquito swarms, and waterborne diseases.
The price is high. Dhaka’s two city corporations spent more than Tk 30 billion in the past 12 years fighting waterlogging. Yet residents still suffer. Studies show that in some years, poor families lost up to 8% of their income due to flood damage, health care costs, and lost workdays.
Lost & Surviving Canals of Dhaka
| Canal Name | Current Status | Condition / Issues |
| Dholaikhal | Lost | Box-culverted, filled; once a major canal in Old Dhaka |
| Segunbagicha Canal | Lost | Filled/encroached, no flow |
| Kathalbagan Canal | Lost | Disappeared, built over |
| Narinda Canal | Lost | Once vibrant, now lost to development |
| Panthapath Canal | Lost | Completely filled |
| Dhalpur Canal | Lost | No longer exists |
| Pandu River/Canal | Lost | Disappeared, once connected urban lakes |
| Miran Jalla | Lost | Identified as vanished in waterbody studies |
| Begunbari Canal | Survives poorly | Narrowed, encroached, polluted |
| Hazaribagh Canal | Survives poorly | Average width reduced to ~8.8m; waste-filled |
| Katasur Canal | Survives poorly | Reduced to ~6m width; heavy encroachment |
| Khilgaon-Basabo Canal | Survives poorly | Choked with solid waste; flow obstructed |
| Baistake Canal | Survives poorly | So filled with waste that people can walk across |
Sources: Dhaka Tribune, The Daily Star, RDRC, ResearchGate studies
Health & Social Impacts of Lost Canals
The loss of canals has not only hurt drainage but also made health risks worse. Stagnant, garbage-filled water becomes a perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes. This has led to rising cases of dengue and chikungunya. The World Health Organization warns that poor water systems in South Asian cities fuel the spread of these diseases.
For low-income families, clogged canals mean flooded homes, unsafe drinking water, and higher medical bills. A study in 2017 found that some families in Dhaka lost up to 8% of their yearly income because of flood damage and health costs.
Children face the biggest danger. Polluted water causes diarrheal disease, which is still one of the main causes of child deaths in Bangladesh.
