Hatirjheel

Hatirjheel হাতিরঝিল
Public Transportation
A beautiful view of the second bridge of Hatirjheel with dense population of people (second day of Eid al-Adha, 2013, when the evening was about to fall).
Map of Hatirjheel and its surrounding areas
Coordinates: 23°44′58.47″N 90°23′48.35″W / 23.7495750°N 90.3967639°W
Country	Bangladesh
Inaugurated in	January 2, 2013
Founded by	Sheikh Hasina
Area
• Total	122 ha (302 acres)

Hatirjheel at Night

Recreational value of Hatirjheel

Hatirjheel (Bengali: হাতিরঝিল; Bengali pronunciation: [ɦat̪ir dʒʱil], English /ˈhɑːtiːˌdʒhɪl/; also known as Hatirjheel-Begunbari) is a lakefront in Dhaka, Bangladesh that has been transformed into a transportation medium for minimizing traffic congestion.^[1]

The area was constructed under Bangladesh Army and 'Special Works Organization' (SWO). It is now a popular recreational spot for residents of Dhaka and currently undergoing renovation.^[2]

Description

Building the entire site required 19.71 billion (19,710 million) taka with an area of 302 acres.^[3] From this, 10.48 billion (10,480 million) taka was spent in acquiring the site. 46% of the area belongs to RAJUK, which includes an area of 81 acres for court of walks, 141 acres for public lands and 1 acre for BTV. The project was first permitted in October 2007, and was said to be completed within three years of time (until June 2010). But the construction began on December 2008, which took further half year of time for expanding it. The total money to create the project included the money of RAJUK (1,113.7 billion taka), LGED (2,760 million) and WASA (866.95 million).^[4]

During dry season, the Hatirjheel lake can hold approximately 3.06 billion liters of water, and during the rainy season about 4.81 billion liters of water. This makes Hatirjheel lake the largest water body inside the capital of Bangladesh.^[5]

History

Legend has it that the elephants of Dhaka's Pilkhana used to take bath in these wetlands – there the name comes Hatirjheel.

Urban planner, architect Iqbal Habib, who heads the consultant firm of the Hatirjheel-Begunbari development project, said that the Bhawal Raja used to keep his tamed elephants at Pilkhana.

He said that the elephants were taken to the wetlands through the Elephant Road and Hatirpool.

Location

Hatirjheel is located at the centre of the capital city, Dhaka. It has a latitude of 23.7495747 and a longitude of 90.3967635. In other words, the Hatirjheel has a coordinate of 23°44′58.47″N 90°23′48.35″E / 23.7495750°N 90.3967639°E.^[6] The place is surrounded by Tejgaon, Gulshan, Badda, Banasree, Niketon, Maghbazar etc., and it made the transportation of the people living near these areas much easier. The location of Hatirjheel is perfect for the transportation system.

Inauguration

The Hatirjheel-Begunbari project was inaugurated in January 2, 2013 by the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at 11 o'clock at morning. Right before the inauguration, the Prime Minister had a look all around the Hatirjheel. The Hatirjheel project opened for the use of general people after the inauguration. The Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said, it was a new year gift to the people, while inaugurating the project on Wednesday.

On the occasion of the inauguration, Hatirjheel had been decorated with multi-coloured flowers and flattering flags of different hues. In the evening of the inaugural day, the city dwellers viewed a spectacular display of fireworks in the vicinity of the project. The Hatirjheel-Begunbari project stretches from Sonargaon Hotel all the way to Banasree.

Recreational values of Hatirjheel

Hatirjheel has turned into one of the most favorite recreational places in Dhaka for the city dwellers. Numerous tourists and pedestrians visit the site every evening to enjoy the reflection of light and to feel the fresh air.^[7] At afternoon people, especially couples, visit Hatirjheel for recreational purposes. As congested buildings permeate the most of Dhaka, leaving little open places for people to feel the fresh air, Hatirjheel attracts the city dwellers with its beauty and vastness of fresh air.

Gallery

• 
  Hatirjheel view
• 
  Hatirjheel view
• 
  Hatirjheel view
• 
  Hatirjheel, 2nd-bridge
• 
  Hatirjheel, 2nd-bridge
• 
  Hatirjheel, 2nd-bridge
• 
  Street of Hatirjheel & 2nd-bridge
• 
  Second bridge
• 
  Third bridge
• 
  Road that goes to Badda, Banasree and Rampura
• 
  Second bridge at night
• 
  Second bridge at night
• 
  Lake, with the second bridge in the picture
• 
  A fly-over at Hatirjheel

References

1. "Three flyovers to ease traffic jam in Hatirjheel project :: Financial Express :: Financial Newspaper of Bangladesh". www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com. Retrieved 2015-11-07.
2. "Hatirjheel to offer more entertainment facilities". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2015-11-07.
3. bdnews24.com
4. The Daily Ittefaq
5. "Measurement of Water". Hatirjheel. Retrieved 2015-11-07.
6. Latitude and Longitude of Hatirjheel
7. "Beautified Hatirjheel attracts visitors". 2013-01-09. Retrieved 2016-08-20.

External links

• Map - Wikimapia
• Map - Google Maps
• Photos - Bengalpix
• Hatirjheel project opened to public - bdnews24.com

Coordinates: 23°44′58.47″N 90°23′48.35″E / 23.7495750°N 90.3967639°E