Nowhere to play

41 Dhaka wards have no parks or playgrounds; experts warn of growing risks to children’s physical, mental health

One Monday afternoon, 10-year-old Khalid Abdullah (not his real name), a Grade-3 student, gazed sadly at the football lying in the corner of his room. He had returned to his Shewrapara home from school an hour earlier.

He picked up the football his father had bought him months ago and stepped onto the apartment balcony. Looking down at the street below, he saw cars, buses and rickshaws inching through traffic. There was no open field nearby, no children chasing a football and no place where he could join a game.

Sensing his disappointment, his mother handed him a mobile phone so he could play video games instead.

Khalid’s story is far from unique. As neighbourhoods become increasingly crowded, playgrounds vanish and children’s schedules fill up with classes and coaching, many in Dhaka city are growing up without a regular place to run and play.

Health experts say the shortage of recreational spaces is affecting more than just children’s leisure time -- it is undermining their physical health, mental well-being and their ability to develop social skills.

This is reflected in a 2024 review published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, which said playgrounds support children’s physical activity, emotional well-being, social interaction and cognitive development. 

The researchers argued that playgrounds should be treated as essential public infrastructure because they help children build confidence, creativity, teamwork and communication skills.

The situation in Dhaka city suggests such considerations receive little priority. The recent Detailed Area Plan (DAP) of Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK) shows that of the 129 wards in the city, at least 41 -- 10 under Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and 31 under Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) -- do not have any playgrounds or parks.

According to DAP and the latest city corporation data, more than 950 playgrounds and parks are required for around 60 lakh residents in DNCC while the number is around 700 for over 43 lakh residents in DSCC. 

While replying to a question from a lawmaker in parliament on July 15, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman said that DNCC oversees 189 parks, playgrounds and open spaces. Of those, 38 are currently free from encroachment and being managed in a planned manner. 

Besides, development work has already been completed at 20 parks, four playgrounds, two children’s parks and two Eidgah grounds, the PM pointed out.

He also said illegal encroachers had been removed from 256 parks and playgrounds under the jurisdiction of DSCC and other agencies. Development and maintenance work was underway at these facilities. 

IMPACT ON CHILDREN 

Parents say they are increasingly concerned about the impact of inadequate recreational spaces on their children’s development.

“My kids have no opportunity for outdoor recreation. It’s just school, coaching and screen time,” said Rehana Begum, a mother of two from Shewrapara.

She said both her children spend too much time on mobile phone or computer screens and too little time with other children.

“By trapping them in these concrete cages, we are making them sick. I feel entirely helpless,” she said, adding that her older child had poor eyesight and weak muscles.

Explaining the impact of limited outdoor activity on children, Helal Uddin Ahmed of the National Institute of Mental Health said, “In the absence of safe playgrounds or open spaces, many children have little choice but to spend their free time on digital devices.” 

Over time, he said, excessive screen use can disrupt sleep, increase irritability and gradually reduce children’s social skills and emotional development.

The effects extend to children’s physical health as well.

Mahbubul Haque, a professor of neonatal and paediatric medicine at Bangladesh Shishu Hospital and Institute, said many of the children he treats suffer from vitamin D deficiency, obesity and poor physical fitness because they spend so little time outdoors.

“If we want to protect Bangladesh’s future, we must protect our children. They need at least an hour every day to play outdoors, mix with other children and spend less time on mobile phones.”

WHAT OFFICIALS, EXPERTS SAY

When contacted, Md Ashraful Islam, chief town planner of Rajuk, said DAP has identified 55 government-owned plots for future recreational spaces, and work on two new parks has already begun.

He further said schools are required to keep 60 percent of their premises as open space, but many continue to operate without playgrounds.

Ashraful also acknowledged that many parks have been commercialised, with 20 to 40 percent of their areas covered by concrete despite the 5 percent limit set by the Bangladesh National Building Code (BNBC).

“According to the World Health Organization, every person should have at least nine square metres of public open space, but Dhaka has only about 0.6 square metres. We need to protect existing parks, remove commercial structures, create new playgrounds and strengthen enforcement,” he said.

Welcoming the government’s recent initiatives, experts have called for reclaiming all playgrounds that have been encroached upon or illegally occupied.

They also suggested that the authorities put in place a “field-sharing model” that would allow school playgrounds to remain open for children in the neighbourhood after school hours.