PHOTO: PALASH KHAN

WORLD WETLANDS DAY. The Buriganga is now more of a mixture of pollutants -- chemical, household and medical wastes, sewage, dead animals, plastics and oil -- instead of the thriving river it once used to be. The intense degradation of its water quality has long been detrimental to the environment and the river ecosystem. Once considered Dhaka’s lifeline, the river bears the brunt of pollution, with 506 sources identified as contributors. These include 12 industrial waste lines and 20 large municipal sewerage lines, alongside 167 small private sewerage outlets discharging untreated waste, according to recent data.