After the independence of Bangladesh on December 16,
1971, the city’s population rose suddenly to about 15,00,000 and in
1974 it was about 16,100,000 (Census of Bangladesh, 1974). The
urbanization activities have been achieving tremendous growth for
the needs of the newly independent country’s capital. The city
began to expand in all directions including over the low-lying
areas on the eastern side, such as in Jurain, Goran, Badda,
Khilgaon, Rampura, and in the western side, areas like
Kamrangirchar, Shyamoli, Western Mohammadpur, Kallyanpur through
the earth filling (Chowdhury, 1991). In 1995, The new Master Plan
for Dhaka was prepared for the further development of Dhaka City.
As very rapid urban growth along with the fast increase in
population and structural development started to take place in the
city, this new structure plan was a must. The population had leapt
to 3 million within one decade of the independence of the country
and the city covered an area of about 70 sq. km. in 1980. The
swamps and wetlands of the city started to disappear fast. New
areas of residential, administrational, business and commercial
importance began to develop. At the same time, numerous slums and
unplanned low-income residential areas or squatters also grew up in
different areas of the city. Keeping pace with the magnitudes of
these urban growth, the new urbanized areas were being encroached
in the low-lying areas in the city and even in some of the adjacent
distant areas.