Acute river pollution around city going on unabated

Acute pollution of the rivers surrounding the capital has been going on unabated due to meagre and ineffective initiatives from the authorities concerned to protect those water bodies from raw pollutants. "The pollution causes an economic loss of Tk 75 billion per year, which is over four per cent of the country's gross domestic product or GDP," said Prof Mujibur Rahman of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET). He said the government can minimise the river pollution around the city by spending Tk 21 billion. A study, conducted by World Health Organisation (WHO), has shown that the investments in the country's water supply and sanitation sector would give five times higher return, he added. Even the rivers, almost blocked with thick layers of various toxic wastes, effluents, polythene bags, coconut shells, plastic bottles, mud and bricks, are being rampantly grabbed by some influential quarters. People residing on both sides of the river banks are seriously affected by the pollution. However, they are forced to accept the situation, as there is no alternative. The governments took some initiatives during the last ten years to check river pollution and protect the water bodies, but those efforts proved almost futile.