Rights activists and public health experts have said that scarcity of playgrounds, parks and open spaces in Dhaka is affecting physical and mental health of people, especially the children living in the city.
Although playing is important for physical and mental development for children, there are no playgrounds or parks in the areas of many wards in the capital. Against this backdrop, children’s physical and mental health is under threat, they said.
Speaking at an event in the capital on Saturday (March 11), the rights activists and public health experts opined that area-based mobile playground in the city can be a solution for creating opportunities for children’s play and socialization. Such mobile playground will also play a vital role to develop children physically and mentally, while it will also play role to build harmony among the local people.
“There are not enough opportunities for sports and socialization in Dhaka city. However, it is almost impossible to create large-scale fields, parks and open spaces in a short period of time. In such a situation, organizing an area-based mobile playground is a timely initiative,” they said.
Considering the inadequacy of field-parks and open space in Dhaka city, a mobile playground was launched on Hazi Akhter Hossain road in the area adjacent to West Dhanmondi Modhubazar Water Pump in the city.
The mobile playground will be organised every Saturday from 3.00 pm to 5.00 pm in the area through various activities like painting, handicrafts, socialization, chess-ludu-carom-rope jump-badminton.
The mobile playground was launched with the joint initiative of Work for a Better Bangladesh Trust (WBB Trust), HealthBridge Foundation of Canada, the office of Ward Councilor of Ward No. 34 of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and local people of the area.
Sheikh Mohammad Hossain Khokon, councilor of Ward No. 34 of DNCC; formally inaugurated the mobile playground in the ward area as the chief guest; with haji Jamal Hossain Sentu, a resident of West Dhanmondi Modhubazar Water Pump area; in the chair.
Gaous Pearee, director at WBB Trust; and Ziaur Rahman, senior project officer of the organization; HM Nurul Islam, headmaster of Dhanmondi Kochikantha High School; Md Nasim Rahman, Bedana Begum, Nasreen Akhter and Haji Md Lutfur Rahman also spoke at the inaugural ceremony.
The organisers said that the mobile playground has been launched with the aim of creating opportunities for sports and socialization for the children. Organizing mobile playground will play a vital role in exercise, socialization and intellectual development of the children.
They said that temporary sports can be easily arranged for children in unused or under-used places in the area, which will play an important role in the development of children as well as in building harmony among the locals.
In his speech, Sheikh Mohammad Hossain Khokon said that setting up of mobile playgrounds in the Ward No. 34 area is a role model for other wards. If such activities are organized in every ward, the city dwellers will benefit and a vibrant and livable city will be developed, he added.
He that about 3 lakh people live in the area of Ward No. 34 but there is only one playground against so many people, which is insufficient compared to the demand.
The DNCC councilor also said, ‘We have already arranged mobile playgrounds at three places in the area. In continuation of this, the fourth mobile playground was organized for the residents of West Dhanmondi Modhubazar Water Pump area today. Such activities should be organized in every ward of Dhaka.”
In her speech, Gaous Pearee said there are not enough playgrounds and parks in Dhaka city. It brings a negative impact on physical and mental health. However, it is not possible for the city corporation to build adequate fields and parks quickly. Against this backdrop, such mobile playgrounds should be arranged at each ward in the city, she added.
Some of the speakers of the event said that children’s addiction to various devices, including computers and mobiles, has increased due to lack of adequate sports opportunities.
They said that the children living in the city need playground, parks and open spaces for recreation, socialising, exercise and play. “Where will our children play? Open spaces have been limited in the city due to rush of development, modernization and unplanned urbanization. Many schools in the city also have no playgrounds. We should promote mobile playgrounds in the city in the absence of open spaces for the development of children,” said a speaker.
