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Recover the rivers around Dhaka

Strategic planning required


Bangladeshpost
Published : 20 Jan 2020 06:26 PM | Updated : 03 Sep 2020 11:52 PM

Raj Kiron Das

It is good news that recently Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) to bring the natural water flow back to the rivers surrounding capital Dhaka.

Due to rapid urbanization with taking little care of unavoidable environmental and public health consequences, Dhaka has lost almost all of its water bodies over the years. Gone are the days when Dhaka had around 58 canals and lakes and was surrounded by four rivers and wetlands. The major part of Dhaka’s drainage system consists of canals, rivers and lakes that help reroute extra water out of the city. Over the years, Dhaka has lost almost all of it.

The main reasons behind disappearing rivers are illegal grabbing by influential quarters, creep of construction and dumping of massive quantities of garbage from the surrounding neighbourhood.


Rivers around Dhaka must be recovered for

 ensuring the natural balance of the city and 

protecting its environment keeping pace 

with the development and urbanisation spree


Though it seemed to be a daunting task to recover the capital’s dying rivers and many other wetlands, government’s strong political commitment, and engagement of Army can spur hope towards reclaiming them. What is desired now is a concerted and well-deployed move fuelled by adequate allocation of resources. Also the city corporations and WASA need to collaborate and devise a master plan to reclaim the rivers. Appropriate legal actions against land grabbers are a must for recovering the occupied ones. A new law should also be enacted to take stern punitive actions against the land grabbers. Practice of wastage dumping in the rivers should be stopped. Besides, steps should be taken so that new installation could not take place filling up rivers. Rivers around Dhaka must be recovered for ensuring the natural balance of the city and protecting its environment keeping pace with the development and urbanisation spree.