Cumilla playgrounds vanishing in urban sprawl

Open spaces and playgrounds are rapidly disappearing in Cumilla city amid growing urbanisation, leaving children with fewer places to play and affecting their physical and mental development.

For instance, Sabbir Hossain Sentu from Cumilla city’s Jhawtala said he plans to hand over his small house to an apartment developer. With the redevelopment, the open courtyard in front of the house, where children once played, will disappear.

Such changes are becoming increasingly common across Cumilla as urban development spreads through areas including Thakurpara, Munsef Bari, Chartha, Racecourse, Jhawtala, Badurtala and Kandirpar.

School playgrounds, once available for sports, are also becoming less accessible.

“Now, most educational institutions do not allow people to use their grounds for sports for various reasons, including security concerns,” said Saiful Alam Babu, a member in-charge of the football committee of the Cumilla District Sports Association.

Debraj Ghosh, a teacher at a government school in Cumilla, said institutions were reluctant to allow outsiders to use their grounds, fearing they could face consequences if a criminal incident occurred there.

Meanwhile, academic pressure leaves children with little time for sports and cultural activities, said Biplab Saha, a cultural activist and director of Shabdartho Sanskriti Khola Chattar.

He said cultural organisations were largely inactive in neighbourhoods, where residents often barely knew one another, even within the same apartment building. He called for effective community-based social, sports and cultural activities involving children and adolescents.

Sayem Ahmed Bhuiyan, executive engineer of Cumilla City Corporation, said there were two parks within the corporation area -- Dharmasagar Park and Telikona Park. An initiative has also been taken to develop DC Park, which falls under the district administration.

“Children need playtime in vast green fields under open skies for proper physical and mental development. They need to grow up in a safe environment free from fear and pollution,” said Dr Mohammad Iqbal Anwar, a renowned paediatrician in Cumilla.

Drawing on four decades of experience treating children and adolescents, Dr Iqbal said many were growing up with unexplained psychological pressure and anxiety.

Busy parents, a lack of outdoor sports facilities and dependence on digital devices were among the main reasons, he said.