Buriganga River Project falls flat

The Buriganga River Restoration Project, taken to revive the Buriganga and other rivers surrounding the capital city, has hit the dead-end for lack of adequate funds and strong political commitment, reports UNB.
According to official sources, the government took the five-year Buriganga River Restoration Project, encompassing New Dhaleswari-Pungli-Bangshi-Turag-Buriganga river system, with an outlay of Tk 9.44 billion in 2010 to revive the rivers through dredging a 162-kilometres.
Although the project period has already elapsed, the government has so far allocated only about Tk 1.04 billion for its implementation by Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) under the Ministry of Water Resources.
As per the project proposal, the project was scheduled to receive Tk 4.7 million in the initial year 2009-10, but there had been no allocation for it during the period, said BWDB chief engineer (central zone) and project director Abul Kalam Azad.
He said an amount of Tk 50.7 million was allocated in fiscal 2010-11 against the proposed allocation of Tk 200 million, while about Tk 190 million against the proposed Tk 2.90 billion in fiscal 2011-12, Tk 400 million against Tk 4.65 billion in fiscal 2012-13 and again Tk 400 million against 1.69 billion. And no allocation was given in the project in fiscal 2014-15.
The river restoration project was scheduled to dredge the 162-kilometre New Dhaleswari-Pungli-Bangshi-Turag-Buriganga river system to bring water from the Jamuna River, acquire 140 hectares of land, set up an off-take regulator, construct a fish-pass on the river and carry out regular dredging works.
But, no work has fully been done under the project yet. Although the BWBD started the river dredging work in 2012, it suspended the work after a year for lack of dredgers, BWDB sources said.
Mr Azad identified the fund crisis, unplanned development of structures like bridge and illegal encroachment of river banks as the major barriers to the project implementation.
Water Resources Minister Anisul Islam Mahmud told the news agency that the Buriganga Restoration Project was taken to increase the river flow to revive the rivers surrounding capital Dhaka, but adequate allocation could not be made to continue the project works.
"So, we're seeking foreign fund to launch a new project in this regard," he added.
Due to unchecked disposal of industrial and household wastes in the Buriganga, Turag, Balu and Shitalakkhya rivers, their ecosystems have been destroyed. No aquatic life or organ can survive in the rivers during the dry season for lack of dissolved oxygen (DO).