River cleaning campaign
Sunday, 15 May 2011
Khalilur Rahman
Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan has, at last, admitted that the ongoing cleaning of garbage from the rivers around Dhaka city will not be fruitful if people continue to throw all sorts of wastes from plastic bottles to polythene bags and coconut shells. A mass awareness campaign has, therefore, been launched by the shipping ministry to educate people about the hazards of the river pollution. The campaign will be carried out at a cost of Tk 5.2 million provided by the Climate Change Trust Fund, according to a report published in the Friday's (May 13) issue of The Financial Express. With regard to cleaning measures so far taken by the government the shipping minister said that the rivers are still full of toxic wastes although over Tk 210 million have already been spent on Buriganga-Turag River Cleaning Project. The minister told newsmen that if members of the public do not desist from dumping garbage into rivers the ongoing cleaning campaign will not be successful. A vigorous mass awareness programme can motivate people to follow the principles of keeping water bodies free from pollution, the minister felt. The FE report says the government has also decided to construct concrete footpaths and plant trees on both banks of the rivers around Dhaka city to protect the areas from the grabbers. In fact the minister has pinpointed the main problem concerning the river pollution. Last month chairman of the Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA) Abu Naser Khan told journalists that the present clean-up drive is bound to meet with failure as two thousand tonnes of garbage are thrown into the Buriganga per day while two tonnes of the wastes are removed from the river bed. The BAPA chairman stated that the river Buriganga is clinically dead. The Buriganga along which Dhaka city was built centuries ago was once a mighty river. At present the clinically dead river can be hardly revived if the authorities are not able to seal the sources of wastes pouring into the waters. According to an estimate, 0.2 million inhabitants of Keraniganj, Babubazar, Badamtoli, Wiseghat, Zinjira and Kamrangirchar dump two thousand tonnes of garbage into the river Buriganga every day from about 140 points, the BAPA chief says. The Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR) and a national daily in a recent survey on Buriganga has found that aquatic life in the river cannot survive in the toxic water of the river. The survey also pointed out that it was not possible for the river to regain its life unless the dumping of poisonous wastes and all other pollutants is stopped forthwith. The pollution of river Buriganga has come to such a pass that use of its water for even bathing or washing utensils is hazardous to health. A large number of industrial units situated on the banks of river Buriganga, Turag, and Balu ceaselessly release untreated wastes, most of which are toxic, directly into the rivers without treatment. Most of the industries have no Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP). With regard to ETP shipping minister announced that the government will build effluent treatment plants for industrial units but the cost will have to be borne by the owners of those industries. The industrial wastes are also largely responsible for the river pollution. While the grabbers of the river banks pose another threat to maintain healthy condition of the rivers, the government action in the face of this illegal occupation appears to be inadequate. Strict legal action and total dismantling of all illegal structures along the river banks is essential for the revival of water bodies. Some experts suggest that decentralisation of metropolitan city is key to survival of the Buriganga and other rivers around the city. Many big and important organisations may be shifted outside the metropolis. This, in turn, will reduce influx of population to the city which is increasing every day. It is high time that the authorities take pragmatic steps to keep the city livable. E-mail : khalilbdh@gmail.com
Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan has, at last, admitted that the ongoing cleaning of garbage from the rivers around Dhaka city will not be fruitful if people continue to throw all sorts of wastes from plastic bottles to polythene bags and coconut shells. A mass awareness campaign has, therefore, been launched by the shipping ministry to educate people about the hazards of the river pollution. The campaign will be carried out at a cost of Tk 5.2 million provided by the Climate Change Trust Fund, according to a report published in the Friday's (May 13) issue of The Financial Express. With regard to cleaning measures so far taken by the government the shipping minister said that the rivers are still full of toxic wastes although over Tk 210 million have already been spent on Buriganga-Turag River Cleaning Project. The minister told newsmen that if members of the public do not desist from dumping garbage into rivers the ongoing cleaning campaign will not be successful. A vigorous mass awareness programme can motivate people to follow the principles of keeping water bodies free from pollution, the minister felt. The FE report says the government has also decided to construct concrete footpaths and plant trees on both banks of the rivers around Dhaka city to protect the areas from the grabbers. In fact the minister has pinpointed the main problem concerning the river pollution. Last month chairman of the Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA) Abu Naser Khan told journalists that the present clean-up drive is bound to meet with failure as two thousand tonnes of garbage are thrown into the Buriganga per day while two tonnes of the wastes are removed from the river bed. The BAPA chairman stated that the river Buriganga is clinically dead. The Buriganga along which Dhaka city was built centuries ago was once a mighty river. At present the clinically dead river can be hardly revived if the authorities are not able to seal the sources of wastes pouring into the waters. According to an estimate, 0.2 million inhabitants of Keraniganj, Babubazar, Badamtoli, Wiseghat, Zinjira and Kamrangirchar dump two thousand tonnes of garbage into the river Buriganga every day from about 140 points, the BAPA chief says. The Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR) and a national daily in a recent survey on Buriganga has found that aquatic life in the river cannot survive in the toxic water of the river. The survey also pointed out that it was not possible for the river to regain its life unless the dumping of poisonous wastes and all other pollutants is stopped forthwith. The pollution of river Buriganga has come to such a pass that use of its water for even bathing or washing utensils is hazardous to health. A large number of industrial units situated on the banks of river Buriganga, Turag, and Balu ceaselessly release untreated wastes, most of which are toxic, directly into the rivers without treatment. Most of the industries have no Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP). With regard to ETP shipping minister announced that the government will build effluent treatment plants for industrial units but the cost will have to be borne by the owners of those industries. The industrial wastes are also largely responsible for the river pollution. While the grabbers of the river banks pose another threat to maintain healthy condition of the rivers, the government action in the face of this illegal occupation appears to be inadequate. Strict legal action and total dismantling of all illegal structures along the river banks is essential for the revival of water bodies. Some experts suggest that decentralisation of metropolitan city is key to survival of the Buriganga and other rivers around the city. Many big and important organisations may be shifted outside the metropolis. This, in turn, will reduce influx of population to the city which is increasing every day. It is high time that the authorities take pragmatic steps to keep the city livable. E-mail : khalilbdh@gmail.com