River encroachment is the advancement of structures, roads, and other development, into natural areas including river corridors, lakes and ponds, etc. It has many negative effects on the environment including decline in water quality, loss of habitat and reduction of ecological processes. Constructed encroachments within river corridors and floodplains are vulnerable to flood damages.
In our country, especially in Dhaka, encroachment has become a very big issue. Authorities have been struggling to rein in illegal encroachers. There have been calls to establish a separate ministry for freeing river banks from encroachment. And there seems to be good news on the horizon.
A vast majority of the encroached lands that belong to Buriganga, Turag and Shitalakhya and Meghna, have been recovered thanks to Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority’s (BIWTA) continuous eviction drives on the banks of the rivers surrounding the capital. The BIWTA seems to be determined to accomplish its mission of evicting the illegal land grabbers. The corporation has already dismantled scores of structures built illegally along these rivers and knocked down several dredgers that were being used to fill the rivers with sand.
We must emphasize the protection
of our rivers as they are invaluable
to our ecology and our lives
In its recent missions, BIWTA has been developing the recovered land for recreational purposes. It constructed beautiful walkways along with four-lane roads along both the banks of the Buriganga River. Under the project, the government would build 50km-long walkways, plant trees along the walkways and set up three eco-parks at Shinnirtek, Tongi, and Ashulia.
Bangladesh is a river-centric country and the cast network of rivers provides us sustenance, a mode of transport, etc. River encroachment should be punished more severely to deter further action. The initiative to turn the recovered land into recreational spots to be used by the public is a welcome move. However, we must not allow any more greedy land-grabbers to encroach our river banks. We must emphasize the protection of our rivers as they are invaluable to our ecology and our lives.
