Bangladesh started work Sunday on an "anger management park" in the capital Dhaka which the mayor said would help the 15 million inhabitants cope with rising daily stress. Traffic jams which keep commuters imprisoned in their cars for up to five hours a day, noise and dust pollution, rainy season chaos and petty crime are daily complaints. Sayeed Khokon, mayor of the southern half of the giant city, hopes the $7 million 38-acre (15 hectare) park near the main government offices will ease the stress.
The Goswa Nibaroni (anger management) Park is expected to take 12-14 months to complete and will feature a lake, snack corners, relaxing music and giant-screen televisions. The concept comes from an ancient Bangladeshi tradition in which villages had an "anger hut" on the nearest riverbank for angry people to calm down, the mayor said.
"Such ideas have long gone. Urban life can be very stressful. City dwellers easily become victims of anxiety," Khokon told AFP. "If you quarrel with your wife, you can go this park and relax." Dhaka, one of the world's fastest growing metropolises, has been losing green space to the mass construction of new residential districts.