Innovative walkways to protect rivers

The Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) has undertaken a project to construct 220-km of waterways along the banks of five rivers encircling Dhaka city. The initiative is laudable in more ways than one. In today's hustle and bustle of the capital city, residents feel suffocated. Such walkways provide much-needed recreation by means of exercise in the midst of nature. Other than providing leisure to residents, the three-phase project aims to protect rivers in and around Dhaka from encroachment and pollution that takes place due to indiscriminate garbage dumping. Reportedly nearly half (20-km) of walkways of the 52-km first phase have been opened to the public and work continues on the rest.
The effects on urban lifestyle are already evident in areas where these walkways have been opened. Residents around the Turag River now go in their hundreds for morning strolls and jogging on the walkways that have been freshly laid along the river. The 3km of such walkways in the Mohammadpur-Basila area is helping breathe new life in the claustrophobic urban setting of people of the locality. Indeed, it has opened up business opportunities for budding entrepreneurs who are seen setting up small cafes and eateries for the increased traffic in people who come to enjoy a bit of nature.
The influx of visitors has shown the viability of the project and from what has been made public by BIWTA, the body plans to construct "a total of 220 kilometres of walkways encircling Dhaka, positioned on both banks of Burigagna, Dhaleswari, Shitalkhya, Balu and Turag." Of course, BIWTA isn't constructing these walkways simply to improve the quality of life for residents. These walkways are also designed in a manner to stop river encroachment, which has been a major cause for destroying the ecological balance of the capital city in many ways. The project envisages not just walkways to be constructed but will it also see eco-parks coming up at different points. When the entire 52km stretch is constructed, people can have uninterrupted walking space of 12km starting from Mohammadpur to Kamrangirchar.
Of course the project has faced several delays. The pandemic followed by unscrupulous entities who continue to try and halt project work through litigation on illegally occupied land across the rivers banks. Such uncontrolled and blatant disregard for the law over the years has seen thousands of acres of land getting gobbled up which have done much damage to the natural flow of rivers in and around Dhaka city. But things are now slowly starting to change. BIWTA is slated to have installed 5,000 river boundary pillars, inaugurated two out of 5 eco-parks and work continues on the others.
While BIWTA's aim is to free rivers from grabbers and tackle pollution, Dhaka residents will only see its benefits if the project stays on track. The walkway project is slated to play a major role in reducing traffic in the city. But for that to happen, it is necessary that authorities make sure that they remain free of makeshift shops that have, in effect, taken over the existing pedestrian walkways in the city presently. It is good to know that authorities are finalising a policy for maintenance of the walkways, which means there will be budget allocation for this important piece of urban infrastructure. From what has been shared publicly, the policy will lease out walkways to private sector operators for their proper upkeep. For this project to be sustainable, proper maintenance is essential and mass awareness programmes need to be conducted so that Dhaka residents own the idea of keeping these walkways in pristine condition for their own benefit.