Editing Dhaka (section)

== Geography ==
{{See also|Geography of Bangladesh}}

===Topography===
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| caption1          = View of Dhaka from the [[International Space Station]]
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Dhaka is located in central Bangladesh at {{Coord|23|42|N|90|22|E|type:city_region:BD|display=inline}}, on the eastern banks of the [[Buriganga River]]. The city lies on the lower reaches of the [[Ganges Delta]] and covers a total area of {{convert|270|km2|sqmi}}.  Tropical vegetation and moist soils characterize the land, which is flat and close to sea level. This leaves Dhaka susceptible to flooding during the [[monsoon]] seasons owing to heavy rainfall and [[cyclone]]s.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hough |first=Michael |title=Cities and natural process |publisher=Routledge |year=2004 |isbn=0-415-29855-5 |pages=64–65}}</ref> Due to its location on the lowland plain of the Ganges Delta, the city is fringed by extensive mangroves and tidal flat ecosystems.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Murray |first1=N.J. |last2=Clemens |first2=R.S. |last3=Phinn |first3=S.R. |last4=Possingham |first4=H.P. |last5=Fuller |first5=R.A. |date=2014 |title=Tracking the rapid loss of tidal wetlands in the Yellow Sea |url=https://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/60169/1/130260.pdf |url-status=live |journal=Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment |volume=12 |issue=5 |pages=267–272 |bibcode=2014FrEE...12..267M |doi=10.1890/130260 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211207073933/https://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/60169/1/130260.pdf |archive-date=7 December 2021 |access-date=11 August 2021}}</ref> Dhaka District is bounded by the districts of [[Gazipur District|Gazipur]], [[Tangail District|Tangail]], [[Munshiganj District|Munshiganj]], [[Rajbari District|Rajbari]], [[Narayanganj District|Narayanganj]], and [[Manikganj District|Manikganj]].

The city of Dhaka is built over a network of rivers. The city’s life is strongly intertwined with the rivers, as they are used for multiple purposes, including transportation.<ref name=":02">{{Cite journal |last1=Bussi |first1=Gianbattista |last2=Shawal |first2=Shammi |last3=Hossain |first3=Mohammed Abed |last4=Whitehead |first4=Paul G. |last5=Jin |first5=Li |date=2023 |title=Multibranch Modelling of Flow and Water Quality in the Dhaka River System, Bangladesh: Impacts of Future Development Plans and Climate Change |journal=Water |language=en |volume=15 |issue=17 |pages=3027 |doi=10.3390/w15173027 |issn=2073-4441 |doi-access=free|bibcode=2023Water..15.3027B }} [[File:CC-BY_icon.svg|50x50px]] Text was copied from this source, which is available under a [[creativecommons:by/4.0/|Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License]]</ref>

=== Cityscape ===
[[File:Dhaka 14th March (32595709004).jpg|thumb|Cityscape of Dhaka]]
Except [[Old Dhaka]], which is an old [[bazaar]]-style neighbourhood, the layout of the city follows a grid pattern with organic development influenced by traditional South Asian as well as Middle Eastern and Western patterns. Growth of the city is largely unplanned and is focused on the northern regions and around the city centre, where many of the more affluent neighbourhoods may be found.<ref name="Sohn Moudon Lee pp. 115–128">{{Cite journal |last1=Sohn |first1=Dong Wook |last2=Moudon |first2=Anne Vernez |last3=Lee |first3=Jeasun |date=4 April 2012 |title=The economic value of walkable neighborhoods |journal=Urban Design International |publisher=Springer Science and Business Media LLC |volume=17 |issue=2 |pages=115–128 |doi=10.1057/udi.2012.1 |issn=1357-5317 |s2cid=109091026}}</ref> Most of the construction in the city consists of concrete [[high-rise building]]s. Middle-class and upper-class housing, along with commercial and industrial areas, occupy most of the city. However, nearly one third of Dhaka's population lives in [[slum]]s, as of 2016 (see below).<ref name=":1" />

Dhaka does not have a well-defined [[central business district]]. [[Old Dhaka]] is the historic commercial centre, but most development has moved to the north. In 1985, the area around [[Motijheel Thana|Motijheel]] was considered the "modern" CBD, while by 2005 [[Gulshan Thana|Gulshan]] was considered the "newest" part of the CBD. Many Bangladeshi government institutions can be found in [[Motijheel Thana|Motijheel]], [[Segunbagicha]], [[Tejgaon Thana|Tejgaon]], [[Karwan Bazar]], and [[Sher-e-Bangla Nagar]].<ref name="Siddiqui2010">{{Cite book |last1=Siddiqui |first1=K. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xqTeCwAAQBAJ&pg=PT32 |title=Social Formation in Dhaka, 1985-2005: A Longitudinal Study of Society in a Third World Megacity |last2=Ahmed |first2=J. |last3=Siddique |first3=K. |last4=Huq |first4=S. |last5=Hossain |first5=A. |last6=Nazimud-Doula |first6=S. |last7=Rezawana |first7=N. |publisher=Routledge |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-317-05400-9 |pages=6, 12 |access-date=3 February 2022}}</ref>

Much activity is centred around a few large roads, where road laws are rarely obeyed and street vendors and beggars are frequently encountered.<ref name="Sohn Moudon Lee pp. 115–128" /><ref name="Kalabamu 1987 pp. 123–131">{{Cite journal |last=Kalabamu |first=Faustin T. |year=1987 |title=Rickshaws and the traffic problems of Dhaka |journal=Habitat International |publisher=Elsevier BV |volume=11 |issue=2 |pages=123–131 |doi=10.1016/0197-3975(87)90063-4 |issn=0197-3975}}</ref>

For much of recent history, Dhaka was characterized by roadside markets and small shops that sold a wide variety of goods.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Seabrook |first=Jeremy |url=https://archive.org/details/incitiesofsouths0004seab/page/221 |title=In the Cities of the South: Scenes from a Developing World |publisher=Verso Books |year=1996 |isbn=1-85984-081-7 |page=[https://archive.org/details/incitiesofsouths0004seab/page/221 221]}}</ref> Recent years have seen the widespread construction of shopping malls.<ref>{{Cite book |title=World and Its Peoples |publisher=Marshall Cavendish Corporation |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-7614-7631-3 |page=489}}</ref> Two of the largest shopping malls in the city and the wider South Asian region are the [[Jamuna Future Park]] and [[Bashundhara City]].

=== Climate ===
{{Main|Climate of Dhaka}}
Under the [[Köppen climate classification]], Dhaka has a [[tropical savanna climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''Aw''). The city has a distinct monsoonal season, with an annual average temperature of {{convert|26|C|F|abbr=on}} and monthly means varying between {{convert|19|C|F|abbr=on}} in January and {{convert|29|C|F|abbr=on}} in May.<ref name="weather1">{{Cite web |title=Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Dhaka, Bangladesh |url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=032914&refer=/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151123042049/http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=032914&refer=%2F |archive-date=23 November 2015 |access-date=15 December 2008 |publisher=weatherbase.com}}</ref> Approximately 87% of the average annual rainfall of {{convert|2123|mm|in|abbr=off}} occurs between May and October.<ref name="weather1" />

According to the World Air Quality Report 2024, Dhaka is one of the world's 20 most polluted cities.<ref>{{Cite web |title=World's Most Polluted Cities 2024 {{!}} AQI Ranking |url=https://www.aqi.in/world-most-polluted-cities |access-date=2025-03-19 |website=www.aqi.in |language=en}}</ref>

{{Dhaka weatherbox}}

=== Parks and greenery ===
[[File:Ramna Park, Dhaka , Bangladesh 10.jpg|thumb|[[Ramna Park]] is the largest park in the city]]
There are many parks within Dhaka City, including [[Ramna Park]], [[Suhrawardy Udyan]], [[Shishu Park]], [[National Botanical Garden of Bangladesh|National Botanical Garden]], [[Baldha Garden]], [[Chandrima Uddan]], Gulshan Park and [[Dhaka Zoo]].

=== Rivers and lakes ===
Almost 10% of the city's area consists of water: There are 676 ponds and 43 canals.<ref name=":1" /> The [[Buriganga River]] flows past the southwest outskirts of Dhaka. Its average depth is {{convert|25|ft|m|disp=flip}} and its maximum depth is {{convert|58|ft|m|disp=flip}}. It ranks among the most polluted rivers in the country.<ref name="Majumder 2009">{{Cite web |last=Majumder |first=Azad |date=19 May 2009 |title=Bangladesh river pollution threatens millions |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-bangladesh-rivers-idUSTRE54I04G20090519 |access-date=9 January 2020 |website=Reuters |archive-date=21 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191221151829/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-bangladesh-rivers-idUSTRE54I04G20090519 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="the Guardian 2015">{{Cite web |date=23 October 2015 |title=The river runs black: pollution from Bangladesh's tanneries – in pictures |url=http://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/gallery/2015/oct/23/the-river-runs-black-pollution-from-bangladeshs-tanneries-in-pictures |access-date=9 January 2020 |website=the Guardian}}</ref>

The city is surrounded by six interconnected river systems—the Buriganga and [[Dhaleshwari River|Dhaleshwari]] in the southwest, [[Turag River|Turag]] and Tongi Khal in the north, and [[Balu River|Balu]] and [[Sitalakhya river|Sitalakhya]] in the east—which support trade, transport, and stormwater drainage.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last1=Hoque |first1=Sonia Ferdous |last2=Peters |first2=Rebecca |last3=Whitehead |first3=Paul |last4=Hope |first4=Robert |last5=Hossain |first5=Mohammed Abed |date=2021 |title=River pollution and social inequalities in Dhaka, Bangladesh |url=https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:8432a5ca-0570-4f93-b082-8d158dc6dc66/files/sws859g42w |journal=Environmental Research Communications |volume=3 |issue=9 |pages=095003 |bibcode=2021ERCom...3i5003H |doi=10.1088/2515-7620/ac2458 |issn=2515-7620 |doi-access=free |archive-date=18 June 2024 |access-date=18 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240618165139/https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:8432a5ca-0570-4f93-b082-8d158dc6dc66/files/sws859g42w |url-status=live }} [[File:CC-BY icon.svg|50px]] Text was copied from this source, which is available under a [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171016050101/https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |date=16 October 2017 }}</ref> However, the current state of the [[water quality]] of the river network is very poor, due to the discharge of untreated [[wastewater]] from households and industries.<ref name=":02" />

There are several lakes within the city, such as Crescent Lake, [[Dhanmondi Lake]], [[Baridhara]]-[[Gulshan Lake]], [[Banani Lake|Banani lake]], [[Uttara Lake]], [[Hatirjheel|Hatirjheel-Begunbari]] Lake, 300 Feet Road Prionty lake, Ramna lake.<ref>{{Cite web |date=9 October 2020 |title=20 Best Places to Visit in Dhaka Division |url=https://mybangla24.com/best-places-to-visit-in-dhaka-division |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201029125856/https://mybangla24.com/best-places-to-visit-in-dhaka-division |archive-date=29 October 2020 |access-date=25 October 2020}}</ref><ref name=":1" />

=== Environmental pollution ===
{{See also|Environmental issues in Bangladesh}}
[[File:Pollution by a factory on the bank of the Buriganga near Dhaka 04.jpg|thumb|Pollution by a factory on the bank of the [[Buriganga]] near Dhaka in 2020]]
Increasing air and water pollution affects public health and the quality of life in the city.<ref name="Geo2">{{Cite news |last=Mondal |first=M. Abdul Latif |date=27 September 2006 |title=Our Cities: 15th Anniversary Special |url=http://www.thedailystar.net/suppliments/2006/15thanniv/ourcities/ourcities28.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070302043917/http://www.thedailystar.net/suppliments/2006/15thanniv/ourcities/ourcities28.htm |archive-date=2 March 2007 |access-date=27 September 2006 |work=The Daily Star}}</ref> The [[air pollution]] is caused for example by vehicle traffic and congestion. Also, due to the unregulated manufacturing of [[brick]]s and other causes, Dhaka has very high levels of fine particulate matter ([[PM2.5]]) air pollution.<ref name="UD9518">{{Cite news |last=Sohara Mehroze Shachi |date=5 September 2018 |title=Bangladesh's Air Pollution Problem Grows, Brick by Brick |url=https://undark.org/article/air-pollution-dhaka/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180907141106/https://undark.org/article/air-pollution-dhaka/ |archive-date=7 September 2018 |access-date=7 September 2018 |work=Undark |quote=The kiln operations alone – while representing just 1 percent of the country's GDP – generate nearly 60 percent of the particulate pollution in Dhaka, according to Bangladesh's Department of Environment (DOE).}}</ref>

[[Water pollution]] is caused by the discharge of municipal wastewater from households and industry without treatment. As of 2011 only 20% of the city is connected to a [[Sewerage|sewer system]], whereas 80% is not connected.<ref name=":1" /> As a result, the rivers in Dhaka have severe [[pathogen]] pollution, as indicated by the [[fecal coliform]] count that is several hundred times higher than the recommended national and international standards of less than 200 [[Colony-forming unit|cfu]] per litre for bathing and swimming.<ref name=":2" /> Chemical surveys in the rivers near Dhaka show extremely high organic pollution loading, high [[Ammonia pollution|ammonia]], and very low [[dissolved oxygen]] levels, which are close to zero in the dry season.<ref name=":02" />

In addition to the organic and pathogen pollution load from the 1.2 million m<sup>3</sup> of untreated sewage, the rivers receive about 60,000 m<sup>3</sup> of industrial effluent every day from nine major industrial clusters (as of 2021).<ref name=":2" /> There are an estimated 500–700 wet processing and [[dyeing]] [[Textile factory|textile factories]] releasing a range of chemicals including salts, dyes and bleaches, and 155 [[tanneries]] discharging [[heavy metals]], including [[chromium]].<ref name=":2" />

Four of the rivers surrounding Dhaka—[[Buriganga River|Buriganaga]], [[Shitalakshya River|Sitalakhya]], [[Balu River|Balu]] and [[Turag River|Turag]]—are so polluted that they have been declared as ''ecologically critical areas'' in 2009 by the Department of Environment. This makes them unsuitable for any human use.<ref name=":2" /> Nevertheless, people living in low-income and slum areas still have a lot of direct contact with river water, exposing them to health risks. They use river water for dish washing, laundry, cleaning fish and vegetables, and personal washing, washing and dyeing [[denim]], washing fish baskets or plastic sheets, collecting plastic waste and fishing.<ref name=":2" /> As a result, many of the immediate environmental burdens of river pollution are borne by these low-income residents.<ref name=":2" />

Water bodies and [[wetland]]s around Dhaka are facing destruction as these are being filled up to construct multi-storied buildings and other real estate developments. Coupled with pollution, such erosion of natural habitats threatens to destroy much of the regional biodiversity.<ref name="Geo2" />