Dhaka was once a city of canals, ponds, and rivers. Today, that intricate aquatic network is vanishing under the pressure of encroachment and unplanned urban development. Journalist and writer Mohammad Helemul Alam has been documenting this decline for over two decades. His two research-based books—on Dhaka’s ponds and canals—are now considered significant contributions to the city’s environmental and urban history.
In a recent conversation, Alam reflected on his journalism journey, childhood memories, and lifelong commitment to preserving Dhaka’s waterbodies.
Q: How did you get into journalism?
Helemul Alam: I did not enter journalism with a grand plan. I studied journalism at the University of Dhaka, and that’s how I became involved in the profession. But once I began working, journalism drew me in completely.
My career started in 1999. In 2001, I joined the English daily The New Nation, marking my first step into English-language journalism. Later, I worked for New Age and now I am with The Daily Star.
Over time, I realized that news is not just information—it can raise awareness, spark dialogue, and influence policymakers. That power still drives my passion for this work.
Q: Why did you choose ponds and canals as your focus?
Alam: Ponds and canals are invaluable parts of our lives. They once supported agriculture, fish farming, and water conservation. But with rapid urbanization, encroachment, and landfilling, this water-based ecosystem has been disappearing one after another.
I grew up in Mirpur, Dhaka. As a child, I swam in four large ponds and fished there. Those ponds are gone now—covered by markets and concrete. That personal loss drew me to this subject.
Dhaka’s waterlogging and flooding problems are deeply linked to the destruction of these waterbodies. To document them is not only to protect the environment—it’s also to preserve our cultural and ecological history.
Q: Tell us about your two books.
Alam: My first book explores the diversity, necessity, and history of Dhaka’s ponds. It’s based on a series of reports published in The Daily Star in 2017. Using maps from the Dhaka City Corporation, I visited at least 100 ponds, documenting which survived and which vanished.
The book—OASIS LOST TO URBAN SPRAWL: An In-Depth Look into Dhaka's Lost Ponds—offers readers a vivid portrait of Dhaka’s disappearing ponds.
The second book focuses on the city’s canals. It draws from childhood memories, field investigations, and two sets of reports published in 2016 and 2024. Once lively waterways filled with boats, many of these canals are now little more than drains.
Titled Dhaka's Canals on Their Dying Breath: An In-Depth Look at How the Capital's Waterways Are Being Choked, the book traces their vibrant past, tragic present, and uncertain future.
I have tried to show how flawed policies and administrative negligence have led to the destruction of Dhaka’s canals and the loss of vital water routes. I truly believe that with civic awareness and government goodwill, these canals can be revived.
This is not merely a story of loss—it is a call to action. With political will and collective effort, the canals can once again help the city breathe.
Q: What worries you most about the current situation?
Alam: First, unplanned urbanization. Canals once acted as Dhaka’s natural drainage system. As they have been filled, waterlogging has worsened.
Second, we have forgotten the cultural significance of waterbodies. Ponds were once social spaces; canals were transport routes. Now we see them only as land. This mindset must change if we are to restore balance to urban life.
Q: How has your experience in journalism helped you as an author?
Alam: Journalism taught me to listen. Every person and place has a story—if you pay attention. Fieldwork, fact-checking, and patient observation form the backbone of both good reporting and good writing.
In journalism, speed is key—today’s news becomes old tomorrow. But writing books allows you to take a long view, to draw a larger picture. Journalism gave me the material; writing allowed me to expand it into something lasting.
Q: How personal is your connection to ponds and canals?
Alam: As a child, I swam in ponds, caught fish in canals, and strolled along the banks at dusk. Those memories remain vivid within me. So when I write about them, I am not just a journalist—I am someone carrying a part of that past.
Q: What do you consider your greatest professional achievement?
Alam: For me, the greatest achievement is earning people’s trust and gratitude. When I see that my reporting helps others, I feel fulfilled.
Once, I reported on a housing company that had blocked a neighborhood’s access road with a wall. The day after the story appeared in The Daily Star, the company demolished the wall. Later, the residents gave me a handwritten letter of thanks. That moment reaffirmed why I became a journalist.
Formal recognitions have also encouraged me. I’ve received the Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) Best Reporting Award four times for different investigative series—including one on the Liberation War. I have also been awarded fellowships by the Water Reporters Forum Bangladesh and the US-based organization Touching Souls International.
But the recognition dearest to me is the DRU Literature Award 2023, which I received in the research category for my first book. It made me feel acknowledged as an author—an important milestone in my life.
Q: What advice would you give to young journalists?
Alam: Be patient and stay curious. Even with the growing pressure for quick publication, true journalism comes from depth. Spend time with people, ask questions, and seek the truth beneath the surface.
Also, remember—no topic is too small. When I began writing about ponds and canals, some dismissed it as trivial. But it turned out to reveal much deeper urban and environmental problems. Always trust your instincts.
Q: What message do you have for readers?
Alam: I want people to see ponds and canals not as relics of the past but as part of our future. In the face of climate change, water scarcity, and urban flooding, natural waterbodies are indispensable.
Most importantly, development is not just about roads and buildings—it is about protecting a sustainable environment and cultural heritage. If my writing can help inspire that realization, I will consider myself successful.
“A pond or canal is not just water—it is memory, community, and the power to survive. If we lose them, we lose a part of ourselves.”
