'Save Buriganga' plan deserves top priority
Sunday, 19 April 2009
Shahiduzzaman Khan
A recent survey found that a polythene stratum measuring about 10 feet in thickness was embedded under a certain stretch of the Buriganga. The river remains terribly polluted from domestic and industrial wastes and the polythene makes it worse, especially given the shallowness of the river. The huge quantities of garbage dumped into this arterial water course have turned it into an environmental nightmare. Trashed polybags seem to pose a far greater danger to human health than ordinary garbage. While the latter is absorbed into the environment, polythene being non-biodegradable, is permanent garbage.
Brisk business goes on with recycled poly bags along the river bank and during washing and drying activities a good proportion of polybags end up in the river. Furthermore, the Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) lorries offload all types of wastes, much of which find their way into the water.
According to the Department of Environment (DoE), 20,000 tonnes of tannery waste are discharged into the river every day. These include some highly toxic materials. There are also 300 brick kilns around draining their wastes into the river. Industrial waste accounts for 60 per cent of the river's pollution, followed by municipal waste. Even hospital waste is dumped into this river. River transportation contributes in a small way. Only the annual monsoon replenishes the river but very slightly. Experts say pollution-free water contains around seven milligram dissolved oxygen and the level must not fall lower than 4.0 milligram. In some parts of the river the level of dissolved oxygen was found to be near zero! What is technically known as biological oxygen demand is ten times higher than normal in the Buriganga waters. If aquatic life still exists in this river, it is a miracle.
Construction of unauthorised structures on the banks of the Buriganga is going on unabated. Drives conducted at different times failed to keep the banks free from encroachment due to the absence of sustainable measures. The encroachers keep returning and have reconstructed about 200 structures which were demolished earlier, grabbing about 50 acres of land.
Although the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) recently approved a project to keep the river bank free from illegal encroachment with an outlay of Tk 380 million, implementation work of the project has not started yet. In a recent survey, the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) identified 326 illegal structures, 50 per cent of which were demolished earlier during several drives conducted by the BIWTA and district administration.
The government taskforce that was formed to save the Buriganga recommended immediate cancellation of all leases of land on its banks and a stop to future leases. Of course, the leases should not have been given in the first place when the banks of the river have not been demarcated. And lease gives legality to occupants and so they may not have been encroachers in the ordinary sense. This means the government too is a partner in the deals struck without thought to the river environment.
City fathers, relevant agencies and the community itself are to be blamed. The government is apparently doing nothing to stop the industrial units in the area from releasing untreated effluent into the river. A group of environmentalists called for forming an authority to save Buriganga and other rivers and introducing a river patrolling team for the purpose. They appeared seriously concerned over the precarious condition of the rivers around the capital as solid and liquid wastes of different factories are being dumped in the Buriganga, Balu and Turag causing serious pollution of waters and silting of the riverbeds. As a result, vessels cannot ply the Buriganga stretching from Kamrangirchar to the China-Bangladesh Friendship Bridge.
Water pollution has reached a dangerous level in Buriganga river. Two technical committees are scheduled to submit a report identifying the sources of pollution. Previous steps taken by different agencies and related laws and rules to are also to be reviewed to help future actions. Experts identified nine industrial areas in and around the capital city -- Tongi, Tejgaon, Hazaribagh, Tarabo, Narayanganj, Savar, Gazipur, Dhaka Export Processing Zone and Ghorashal -- as the prime sources of river pollution. Most of the industrial units here have no effluent treatment plants and more than 60,000 cubic metres of toxic waste (textile dying, printing, washing and pharmaceuticals) is simply released into the water bodies every day, exposing nearly 4.0 million people to the consequences. Dhaka city discharges about 4,500 tonnes of solid waste every day, of which maximum 30 per cent are disposed at designated dumpsites.
There are a few other factors responsible for pollution, which should also be taken into consideration when the government draws comprehensive programmes to prevent river pollution. A committee will suggest a few immediate measures, and draw short-term and long-term programmes. It said that a central effluent treatment plant was being set up at the Dhaka Export Processing Zone, but most of the industrial units outside are not complying with standard effluent plants. Treatment plants in all industrial zones should be made mandatory.
Demanding immediate implementation of the recommendations of the taskforce regarding Buriganga, experts said there is no time for sitting idle if the government wants to save the river Buriganga, which has already become a dumping ground for all toxic wastes. The percentage of soluble oxygen in the pitch black water of the Buriganga has come down to nil at certain places.
The movement to save the Buriganga has taken a new turn as increased number of people are taking interest in it. Previous governments took a number of good decisions but implementation is very slow. People should come forward to force the government to save the Buriganga and other rivers. Residents from the old part of the city should be engaged in the movement as their lifestyle is closely interlinked with it. Demanding the widening of the river as per catastrophe survey (CS), environmentalists said if the government had implemented the taskforce decisions, the condition of the river could not have been so miserable.
The rivers that surround Dhaka are the lifeline of the capital. The population of the city, which was merely 0.1 million in 1906, has jumped to over 1.2 million now, but the authorities have so far failed to prepare and implement any effective plan to keep the rivers free from pollution and illegal land grabbers.
It is widely believed, and not without basis, that there is an understanding between the land grabbers and a section of employees working with the government agencies concerned.
The government enacted the Environment Court Act 2000, which was followed by some amendments in 2002, to set up one or more environment courts in each division to deal with environment-related offences. But such courts could not ensure speedy trial of the cases due to lack of sincerity and seriousness on the part of DoE officials.
There is a need for creating a powerful body to free the rivers from the clutches of the encroachers and polluters, instead of having so many non-functional ornamental bodies. There should be sufficient scope for devising ways and means so that the land or water bodies, once recovered from the land grabbers, cannot be recaptured.
..............................................................
szkhan@thefinancialexpress-bd.com
A recent survey found that a polythene stratum measuring about 10 feet in thickness was embedded under a certain stretch of the Buriganga. The river remains terribly polluted from domestic and industrial wastes and the polythene makes it worse, especially given the shallowness of the river. The huge quantities of garbage dumped into this arterial water course have turned it into an environmental nightmare. Trashed polybags seem to pose a far greater danger to human health than ordinary garbage. While the latter is absorbed into the environment, polythene being non-biodegradable, is permanent garbage.
Brisk business goes on with recycled poly bags along the river bank and during washing and drying activities a good proportion of polybags end up in the river. Furthermore, the Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) lorries offload all types of wastes, much of which find their way into the water.
According to the Department of Environment (DoE), 20,000 tonnes of tannery waste are discharged into the river every day. These include some highly toxic materials. There are also 300 brick kilns around draining their wastes into the river. Industrial waste accounts for 60 per cent of the river's pollution, followed by municipal waste. Even hospital waste is dumped into this river. River transportation contributes in a small way. Only the annual monsoon replenishes the river but very slightly. Experts say pollution-free water contains around seven milligram dissolved oxygen and the level must not fall lower than 4.0 milligram. In some parts of the river the level of dissolved oxygen was found to be near zero! What is technically known as biological oxygen demand is ten times higher than normal in the Buriganga waters. If aquatic life still exists in this river, it is a miracle.
Construction of unauthorised structures on the banks of the Buriganga is going on unabated. Drives conducted at different times failed to keep the banks free from encroachment due to the absence of sustainable measures. The encroachers keep returning and have reconstructed about 200 structures which were demolished earlier, grabbing about 50 acres of land.
Although the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) recently approved a project to keep the river bank free from illegal encroachment with an outlay of Tk 380 million, implementation work of the project has not started yet. In a recent survey, the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) identified 326 illegal structures, 50 per cent of which were demolished earlier during several drives conducted by the BIWTA and district administration.
The government taskforce that was formed to save the Buriganga recommended immediate cancellation of all leases of land on its banks and a stop to future leases. Of course, the leases should not have been given in the first place when the banks of the river have not been demarcated. And lease gives legality to occupants and so they may not have been encroachers in the ordinary sense. This means the government too is a partner in the deals struck without thought to the river environment.
City fathers, relevant agencies and the community itself are to be blamed. The government is apparently doing nothing to stop the industrial units in the area from releasing untreated effluent into the river. A group of environmentalists called for forming an authority to save Buriganga and other rivers and introducing a river patrolling team for the purpose. They appeared seriously concerned over the precarious condition of the rivers around the capital as solid and liquid wastes of different factories are being dumped in the Buriganga, Balu and Turag causing serious pollution of waters and silting of the riverbeds. As a result, vessels cannot ply the Buriganga stretching from Kamrangirchar to the China-Bangladesh Friendship Bridge.
Water pollution has reached a dangerous level in Buriganga river. Two technical committees are scheduled to submit a report identifying the sources of pollution. Previous steps taken by different agencies and related laws and rules to are also to be reviewed to help future actions. Experts identified nine industrial areas in and around the capital city -- Tongi, Tejgaon, Hazaribagh, Tarabo, Narayanganj, Savar, Gazipur, Dhaka Export Processing Zone and Ghorashal -- as the prime sources of river pollution. Most of the industrial units here have no effluent treatment plants and more than 60,000 cubic metres of toxic waste (textile dying, printing, washing and pharmaceuticals) is simply released into the water bodies every day, exposing nearly 4.0 million people to the consequences. Dhaka city discharges about 4,500 tonnes of solid waste every day, of which maximum 30 per cent are disposed at designated dumpsites.
There are a few other factors responsible for pollution, which should also be taken into consideration when the government draws comprehensive programmes to prevent river pollution. A committee will suggest a few immediate measures, and draw short-term and long-term programmes. It said that a central effluent treatment plant was being set up at the Dhaka Export Processing Zone, but most of the industrial units outside are not complying with standard effluent plants. Treatment plants in all industrial zones should be made mandatory.
Demanding immediate implementation of the recommendations of the taskforce regarding Buriganga, experts said there is no time for sitting idle if the government wants to save the river Buriganga, which has already become a dumping ground for all toxic wastes. The percentage of soluble oxygen in the pitch black water of the Buriganga has come down to nil at certain places.
The movement to save the Buriganga has taken a new turn as increased number of people are taking interest in it. Previous governments took a number of good decisions but implementation is very slow. People should come forward to force the government to save the Buriganga and other rivers. Residents from the old part of the city should be engaged in the movement as their lifestyle is closely interlinked with it. Demanding the widening of the river as per catastrophe survey (CS), environmentalists said if the government had implemented the taskforce decisions, the condition of the river could not have been so miserable.
The rivers that surround Dhaka are the lifeline of the capital. The population of the city, which was merely 0.1 million in 1906, has jumped to over 1.2 million now, but the authorities have so far failed to prepare and implement any effective plan to keep the rivers free from pollution and illegal land grabbers.
It is widely believed, and not without basis, that there is an understanding between the land grabbers and a section of employees working with the government agencies concerned.
The government enacted the Environment Court Act 2000, which was followed by some amendments in 2002, to set up one or more environment courts in each division to deal with environment-related offences. But such courts could not ensure speedy trial of the cases due to lack of sincerity and seriousness on the part of DoE officials.
There is a need for creating a powerful body to free the rivers from the clutches of the encroachers and polluters, instead of having so many non-functional ornamental bodies. There should be sufficient scope for devising ways and means so that the land or water bodies, once recovered from the land grabbers, cannot be recaptured.
..............................................................
szkhan@thefinancialexpress-bd.com