According to a recent report published in this newspaper, many structures have been built illegally by encroaching both banks of Haor river, once linking Bangladesh and India border. Local influential people have constructed huge complexes, ponds and fish enclosures occupying the river banks that have resulted in stopping of the water flow on the river, turning it into a narrow canal and creating huge water logging in the country’s biggest Benapole land port area.

Once profusely flowing, the river has turned into a narrow canal in recent times and heading towards a virtual death due to the mindless encroachment by local influential people. Encroachment has become a serious issue. All across the country, rivers have been converted into a series of ponds through the construction of cross-bunds. Thus, many free-flowing rivers have now become a series of stagnant water bodies.

The environmentalists are crying hoarse to make the point that the rivers in and around the city have to be saved from encroachment and pollution, there are few listeners. The ground reality remains appalling. Rivers continue to be the targets of land grabbers having enough political clout and money to carry on the illegal business.

Rivers follow some rules of nature. If the width of a river is reduced by encroachment, it may have an impact on the discharge it normally carries; natural volume of flow may reduce; as a response, the depth of the river lessens, thus permanently shrinking the river in terms of size and flow volume.

Devouring rivers is reportedly being done by a nefarious syndicate in connivance with some local public servants whose job is to prevent exactly that. Eviction drives are rarely carried out; and that too without the adequate manpower, equipment or the necessary planning. As a result, hot on the heels of the drives, encroachers return with renewed vigour to carry out their sordid business, unabated.

Most of our industries in this country do not have Effluent Treatment Plants (ETPs) though operation of such ETPs has been made mandatory by law. If these ETPs are properly installed and operated, industrial pollution could be contained. But who is going to stop the state which is itself a big polluter? Unlike every major city in the world, the storm sewer line and the domestic sewer line are all connected in towns and cities of this country.