Shajahan talks tough against river-grabbers, polluters

Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan yesterday warned that stern action will soon be taken against the people and bodies that are polluting and grabbing the country’s rivers, reports UNB.  “The government has already formed a powerful committee to stop river grabbing and pollution…the navy will help it recover occupied parts of rivers and stop pollution in the rivers around Dhaka city,” he told a seminar in the capital.
 The National River Protection Commission arranged the seminar on the protection of rivers’ grabbing and pollution at Cirdap auditorium.
 Chaired by Commission’s chairman Ataharul Islam, the seminar was addressed, among others, by Water Resources secretary Dr Zafar Ahmed Khan, Shipping secretary Ashoke Madhab Roy and Commission member Md Alauddin. Speaking as the chief guest, Shajahan Khan said a taskforce was formed to restore the navigability of the country’s rivers in 2010 and boundary pillars in rivers surrounding Dhaka city were earlier set up through the taskforce.
 He said the government has taken a move to stop the sources of effluents in Buriganga, Balu, Shitalakhya and Turag rivers aiming to make them free
from pollution and it is now working to do so.
 Initially, around 8.5 lakh cubic tonnes of wastes have been removed from riverbed of Buriganga on experimental basis, the Shipping Minister said, adding that nobody will be spared who pollutes or grabs rivers.
 He said a 20-kilometre walkway has already been set up on the banks of Buriganga, Balu, Shitalakhya and Turag rivers so that grabbers cannot occupy rivers again and the government will also build 50 kilometres walkway during its current era.
 At the seminar, eminent water expert Prof Dr Ainun Nishat made a power-point presentation on grabbing and pollution in the rivers around Dhaka city and ways forward while River Commission member Dr Mominul Haque Sarkar on the rivers’ grabbing, pollution and control and biodiversity conservation, and deputy executive director of the Center for Environmental and Geographic Information Services (CEGIS) Fida A Khan on trans-boundary river pollution.

Shajahan talks tough against river-grabbers, polluters

Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan yesterday warned that stern action will soon be taken against the people and bodies that are polluting and grabbing the countrys rivers, reports UNB. The government has already formed a powerful committee to stop river grabbing and pollutionthe navy will help it recover occupied parts of rivers and stop pollution in the rivers around Dhaka city, he told a seminar in the capital. The National River Protection Commission arranged the seminar on the protection of rivers grabbing and pollution at Cirdap auditorium. Chaired by Commissions chairman Ataharul Islam, the seminar was addressed, among others, by Water Resources secretary Dr Zafar Ahmed Khan, Shipping secretary Ashoke Madhab Roy and Commission member Md Alauddin. Speaking as the chief guest, Shajahan Khan said a taskforce was formed to restore the navigability of the countrys rivers in 2010 and boundary pillars in rivers surrounding Dhaka city were earlier set up through the taskforce. He said the government has taken a move to stop the sources of effluents in Buriganga, Balu, Shitalakhya and Turag rivers aiming to make them free from pollution and it is now working to do so. Initially, around 8.5 lakh cubic tonnes of wastes have been removed from riverbed of Buriganga on experimental basis, the Shipping Minister said, adding that nobody will be spared who pollutes or grabs rivers. He said a 20-kilometre walkway has already been set up on the banks of Buriganga, Balu, Shitalakhya and Turag rivers so that grabbers cannot occupy rivers again and the government will also build 50 kilometres walkway during its current era. At the seminar, eminent water expert Prof Dr Ainun Nishat made a power-point presentation on grabbing and pollution in the rivers around Dhaka city and ways forward while River Commission member Dr Mominul Haque Sarkar on the rivers grabbing, pollution and control and biodiversity conservation, and deputy executive director of the Center for Environmental and Geographic Information Services (CEGIS) Fida A Khan on trans-boundary river pollution.