RCC to conserve 16 waterbodies

RAJSHAHI, Jun 06 (BSS): The Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) will conserve 16 natural waterbodies through bringing those under its jurisdiction.
The RCC has adopted a Tk 2.71 billion project. The scheme intends to retain its surface water resources for protecting the environment from further degradation.
The city corporation has undertaken the uplift project titled "Natural Water Bodies Conservation and Development in Rajshahi City".
Mayor Musaddeque Hossain Bulbul revealed this while visiting development and beautification works of a pond in the city yesterday.
The development activities are being implemented with financial support of a project titled "Sustainable Development of Rajshahi City through the Improvement and Conservation of Social, Cultural, Environmental and Heritage Infrastructures".
Mayor Bulbul said the ponds will be preserved and lands will be acquired for the purpose. None would be allowed to fill up the ponds.
The project has provision of developing mini amusement park beside each of the ponds. Embankments of the ponds will be renovated with retaining wall alongside necessary excavation and re-excavation.
In addition to bench and walkway, concrete stair will be constructed in all the developed ponds to make those attractive among the nearby people and facilitate them to enjoy and use those suitably.
Bulbul said there were 729 ponds and canals in the metropolis in 2002, but the figure has come down to 293 at present due to indiscriminate earth-dumping and unplanned urbanization.
He said dependence on groundwater has been increasing for ensuring of supply water to the city dwellers causing unusual lowering of groundwater table for the last couple of years.
He added "We have no way but to conserve the surface water resources to make the groundwater table intact," he opined.
Besides, he viewed that the developed water bodies will help the fire fighters and others concerned to extinguish any fire incident in the metropolis.