Restoring Dhakas rivers to their pristine form
The rivers
in and around Dhaka are in a pitiable state for a long time, but the point here is we are yet to see any serious efforts to restore the naturalness of these rivers
Like the Buriganga, Shitalakhya and Turag rivers, the two major rivers near Dhaka, Dhaleshwari and Bangshi, are also meeting the same fate. According to a report of this newspaper, the effluent of the garment and dyeing factories is poisoning the water of these rivers. More to it, the recently relocated some 35 tanneries are also dumping their wastes into these rivers. When all the total 155 tanneries will be shifted to Savar, the Burigangas water could be saved from pollution of these tanneries, but from Savar in their new place, they would create havoc to the relevant rivers unless their effluent is discharged after proper treatment. But there are hardly any sign of it in the spot.
The rivers in and around Dhaka are in a pitiable state for a long time, but the point here is we are yet to see any serious efforts to restore the naturalness of these rivers. For bringing back naturalness of the rivers, dumping of the wastes ought to have been stopped long ago. But this could not be done. Instead, before the very eyes of the administration, the rivers are turning black more and more on the one hand and are being encroached unabated on the other.
Once pollution of the rivers is stopped, the government could take up the programme of making them clean as much as possible through natural as well as artificial means. During the rainy season, the water of the rivers rather becomes cleaner, but this cleanliness could be preserved if discharge of poisonous effluent without treatment could be stopped in the first place.
These rivers have for long ceased to become sources of income for the fishermen living beside the banks of these rivers as no fish is found there. The High Court of the country intervened several times in the past and issued rules against pollution as well as encroachment, but up until now nothing substantial has been achieved in recovering the naturalness of these rivers.
One thing has to be clearly understood: life in Dhaka could be improved a great deal if the naturalness of the rivers could be restored. This is one of the most pressing environmental imperatives of Bangladesh at present. The ministry of environment and forests as well as the ministry of water resources and other relevant government departments must make serious efforts to save the rivers.
