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Save rivers, save Dhaka

A.N.M.NURUL Haque
The rate at which the rivers surrounding Dhaka are being polluted and encroached on threatens an inevitable environmental cataclysm. Dhaka is really a dying city with its rivers, which had so long been acting as its arteries, being throttled to death.
The four rivers, Buriganga, Shitalakkhya. Turag and Balu, that surrounded Dhaka city are being polluted by industrial wastes and encroached upon by land grabbers to such an extent that they could cause'an environmental disaster for the city dwellers.
The Buriganga. which was once a mighty river of vigorous flow, has now been turned into a septic reservoir, as about 22,000 cubic meters of toxic tannery wastes are directly dumped into it everyday. According to a survey, around 50 to 60% of pollution of the Buriganga is caused by lethal industrial wastes and the rest by domestic wastewater.
Both banks of the Turag, the main tributary of the Buriganga on the northern side of the city, have been grabbed for development, and it has been contami-
nated by lethal industrial wastes, making it one among many rivers in the country to face environmental devastation.
Originating from Brahmaputra, the Turag has a total length of 78 kilometers, out of which 23 kilometers flow along the city. Not only the banks but also the bed of the river near Ashulia and Birulia has fallen to the greed of the land grabbers, who have erected huge structures at various points.
The Shitalakkhya, a major tributary of the river Buriganga on the southern fringe of the city, is another cruel victim of huge encroachment and severe pollution. The unabated dumping of industrial wastes and sewage has polluted its water to such an extent that it is impossible for any aquatic life to survive there. Its surface water has turned pitch black and emits a bad smell.
The Balu, which flows on the eastern
side of the city, is also being sacrificed to the greed of powerful people who have grabbed both of its banks and the bed. The river that once flowed in abundance is now dwindling. The grabbing of its bed has gone to such extent that it has become quite difficult to recognise its existence at many points. The waste emitted by the industries set up along the river has heavily polluted its almost stagnant waters.
The statistics available with the Department of Environment (DoE) says that 365 textile mills, 198 tanneries, 149 pharmaceutical units, 129 engineering workshops, 118 chemical and pesticide factories, 92 jute mills, 63 rubber and plastic units, 38 food and sugar factories, 10 paper and pulp mills, 5 each of cement and fertilizer factories and 4 distilleries are polluting the rivers.
According to the Environment Conservation Act 1995, each industrial unit should have effluent treatment plants (ETP) in order to get clearance from the DoE, which is mandatory for getting power and gas connections. The caretaker government of Fakhruddin Ahmed had directed the owners of the industries to install ETP at their respective industries by October 31, 2007. But most of them defied the directive and the government did not take any action against the violators.
Ironically indeed, encroachment and pollution of rivers have been going unabated despite the existence of at least 38 government bodies entrusted with the task of protecting rivers. The caretaker government, in a drive in July 2001, cleared huge portions of encroached Buriganga, Turag and Shitalakkhya rivers, but failed to prevent the encroachment.
We desperately need a powerful body, legislated to mete out punishment, to free the rivers from the clutches of the encroachers and polluters, instead of having so many non-functional ornamentalbodies.
The Daily Star has done a splendid job taking the first crucial step of bringing to light the shocking condition of Dhaka's four rivers by printing a series of reports, which has prompted the High Court and a parliamentary body to take some effective steps towards saving the rivers.
The HC has ordered the government to immediately stop the construction of illegal structures on the banks of the rivers and to explain why an order should not be served to restore the rivers in question to their former state. The JS body has formed a sub-committee to take steps to save the rivers surrounding Dhaka.
The rate at which the rivers surrounding Dhaka are being polluted and encroached on threatens an inevitable environmental cataclysm. Dhaka is really a dying city with its rivers, which had so long been acting as its arteries, being throttled to death.
We have seen civil society movements in the recent past to save the Buriganga, which resulted in a temporary respite for the river without any permanent solution because of the lack of determined and well-coordinated efforts.
There are reasons to believe that the
“Save Rivers, Save Dhaka" campaign, a joint initiative of The Daily Star and Channel-i for fighting to save the rivers that skirt around the Dhaka, could be seen a success as it has already created a new dimension. Therefore, the conscious dwellers of the city should join the campaign to save the Dhaka's rivers and consequently save Dhaka.
AN M. Nurul Haque is a columnist ofThe Daily Star