We highly appreciate the government’s fresh drastic move to free the illegally grabbed rivers, canals and water bodies across the country. We call upon the lawmakers, all political persons and people from all walks of life to extend all out support to make the countrywide drive a success.
According to a study, around 19,000 out of 24,000 kilometres of waterways of the country have phased out due to grabbing of rivers and filling up of the rivers and canals after the independence of the country. At present there are only around 5,000 kilometres of waterways in the country.
The government is progressing in
right track to make rivers and
canals free from illegal grabbers
Only improved water quality and natural flow only can protect our biodiversity and flora and fauna that are very important for human existence. We hope that country’s rivers and other water bodies will get back their life from such drives and none, even ‘godfathers’ and ‘dons’, would be spared in this regard as the Sheikh Hasina's government has taken a harsh stance against such crimes and it has already made clear its "zero-tolerance policy" against rivers and water bodies grabbers.
It needs no mentioning that the government is progressing on the right track to make all rivers free from illegal grabbers. Now what is needed is to raise mass awareness to save rivers and water bodies from the grabbers. We need to change our mindset and find ways to protect rivers and canals at any cost as these are being filled up illegally, and people in those areas are forced to sell or leave their land by a vested group of real estate developers.
In order to recover the occupied water-bodies we must take appropriate legal actions against the grabbers. Last but not least, practice of wastage dumping in canals and rivers should be stopped.
