Dhaka\'s surrounding rivers need life support

Rivers such as the Bangshi, the Dhaleshwari and the Turag used to act as the lifeline of Dhaka for several years contrary to the abject conditions they are in now. Rivers girdling the capital are literally turning into virtual cesspools following chronic pollution caused by nearby factories and brickfields. Undoubtedly, the harmful impacts of unplanned development and industrialisation coupled with excessive dumping of toxic waste have caused water levels to shrink and left the rivers almost dead.
According to recent media reports, most of the dying and composite factories are located a few kilometres away from those rivers at Savar, Ashulia, Dhamrai and Tongi. Such factories frequently dump large amounts of liquefied chemical waste into the rivers and canals through plastic pipes and drains. Moreover, few canals linked to the Dhaleshwari River have already become barren wastelands as a result of uncontrolled dumping activities. Local farmers are finding it difficult to irrigate the crop fields because of water pollution. Likewise, residents of Savar and Dhamrai may face an acute shortage of clean water and suffer numerous health-hazards from intensive CO2 emissions in the long run. Reports further claim that local children can hardly endure the horrible odour of 'colourful' chemicals dissolved in water. Also, airborne elements inside such toxic waste rapidly get carried on with the southern wind, resulting in frequent vomiting for children and cardiovascular diseases for adults.
People who live by the Bangshi, the Dhaleshwari and the Turag rivers often reminisce about the happier times when those rivers were suitable for swimming, bathing and even considered sources of clean water. Nevertheless, vast expanses of riverside plains sprawling across Dhaka's suburbs are suffering the detrimental consequences of large-scale industrial pollution.
Recently, the government relocated tanneries from Hazaribagh to Savar Tannery Estate. However, such achievements came at the cost of thousands of hectares of alluvial lands while diminishing Savar's agricultural output for the next 20 years. Industrial waste from Dhaka EPZ and privately-owned factories already contaminated Dholai Beel which is linked to the Bangshi River. Most settlements at the upstream of the Bangshi at Nayarhat down Karnatali canal near the Dhaleshwari River have become severely polluted. The intensity of pollutants has caused water to remain murky even during rainy seasons. Meanwhile, residents of Tongi and Ashulia have fallen victim to the erratic rise of brick kiln. For the last few years, almost 400 brickfields at Ashulia and Tongi have been releasing high amounts of CO2 into the air and hence made the riverside communities suffer from asthma, lung diseases and various eye complications. Continuous pollution has also decreased the quality of both soil and air.
Surrounding rivers of Dhaka require special attention from the government. All industrial activities at Savar, Dhamrai, Ashulia and Tongi should be routinely monitored and carefully regulated under the protocols of the Construction, Industry and Transformation Programme (CITP), 2016-2020. The authorities should take punitive measures against potential lawbreakers so that Dhaka's life support including the Bangshi, the Dhaleshwari and the Turag rivers alongside other water bodies is no longer interrupted.  
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