Dhaka is one of the most populous cities of the world. The city, covering about 350 square kilometres, is now home to over 15 million people. In addition to that, a large number of people flow in and file like ants to the capital everyday. As much as one million new faces are trickling into the overcrowded Dhaka city per year. State Minister for LGED and Cooperatives made the disclosure at a program in the capital Wednesday, which clearly suggests an alarming convergence in the already-exploding population.

The overpopulation has thrown every systems of the capital into disarray. Traffic congestion has already reached a nightmarish proportion. Dhaka has grown so crowded that existing infrastructure makes it almost impossible for the city dwellers to lead a comfortable life. Population boom coupled with unplanned industrialisation and urbanisation spoiled the urban vegetation of Dhaka and triggered urban problems such as pollution, inadequate public services and deterioration of law and order. As a result of all these, recently Dhaka was ranked as the least livable city among 140 cities surveyed across the world.

The centralised economic policy of the country is the key reason for continual population growth in Dhaka. People migrate to the capital as the countryside lacks opportunities for livelihood. So, the solution lies in the decentralisation of economic activities of the country. The continuous influx of people to Dhaka can only be stopped through decentralisation of industrialisation and administration with shifting some of the government office headquarters to other districts. The city crammed full with people is crawling by the pressure of its huge size of population; further increase in it will only push the four hundred years old town to crumble.