Speakers at a seminar on Wednesday called upon the civil society and the government to work in harmony to outline a comprehensive strategic plan to protect and save the rivers of the country from pollution and encroachment. They said failing to act now could turn out to be catastrophic as future disasters from climate change could be highly costly.
Expressing grave concerns at the rate of river pollution and land grabbing, the speakers demanded that all stakeholders should be involved in the plan to focus on recovering the lost land from encroached river territories and prevent the rivers from being polluted.
They said that since its birth Bangladesh has lost over 50 percent of the river territories, both in lengths and breath. At one stage the total length of more than 300 major rivers totaled over 24,000 km which has now come down to less than 6000 km. The speakers suggested developing a concrete plan at a seminar titled - ‘Plan for River Development’ held at Agriculture Extension Department Auditorium, at Farmgate in the capital.
Apart from the government and other agencies, people from all walks of life will have to come forward in order to build awareness to protect and conserve the rivers from the land grabbers and polluters. They said that more aggressive plans are needed to protect and conserve the rivers to benefit communities depending on the rivers for their livelihood.
“Only the officials and staff of the authority concerned alone cannot save the rivers. For such a massive initiative in protecting the rivers we certainly need bold steps continue with the participation of all, including the civil society,” said Mozibur Rahman Howlader, Chairman, National River Conservation Commission (NRCC).
Rivers are threatened by multiple factors, including changes in water flow, impacts on channel formation, the reception of an increasing variety of pollutants, the overexploitation of resources, and habitat depletion, he added. He further said that the rich biodiversity that once dominated these rivers are now on the verge of collapse as many of the microscopic organisms found in the river waters are already dead. Such microscopic organisms in water support life in the rivers like the fish, underwater plants and plankton, a vital element to keep the ecosystem operational.
The Planning Minister M A Mannan said, “In our childhood we had plenty of fish. Our ancestors also did the same. The practice of eating fish now may not be as good as we witnessed then but now it is also satisfactory.” The government has taken various effective measures in order to make the country’s water ways more worthy, he added.
The Planning Minister also said, “Some of the work we do in the planning ministry is directly related to the river, water and so on. Those who have created the project will guarantee that the entire environment will not be adversely affected especially the rivers, canals, drains, bills, reservoirs, etc. during the feasibility study. “This is an important issue of the government and I will take the matter to the higher authority of the government,” he underscored.
As part of plans, the ministry of planning is working to keep the navigability of the river route throughout the country, ensure safe and uninterrupted transportation. Of the total rivers under dredging, he said 13 are dead and dry rivers. The dead and dry rivers are Kongso river, Mogra, Chalti, Dudkumar, Rokti, Baulai, Rakshaw-Nalar river, Arial kha, Monu, Atrai, Buri, Natun river and Moynakata river.
Many rivers like the Chitra, Daudkhali, Chengrail, Ghanoraj, Betna, Mukuleswari, Labangabati, Herther, Atharobeki, Salta, Dakua Khal, Sui, Dhanu, Balardi, Phutki, Mora Kumar and Muchikhali have completely vanished from Bangladesh’s map. Besides, most portions of rivers like the Padma, Ganges, Teesta, Brahmaputra, Jamuna, Dhaleswari, Sandhya, Meghna, Buriganga, Shitalakhya and Bangalee have already dried up because of the irresponsibility of local residents and the government’s negligence, complained green activists and river experts.
About 45 rivers like the Kaliganga, Bangshi, Banar, Patnai, Jadukatha, Manu, Mogra, Dakatia, Dhorla, Old Brahmaputra, Mohananda, Arialkha, Gorai, Hura Sagor, Karotoa, Bibiana, Pagla, Rakti, Dakua, Barak, Patnai, Kangsha, Turag, Nabaganga, Ichamati, Madhumati, Dumuria, Someswari, Balu, Jamuneswari and Dhaleswari are about to die, an expert said.
The length of internal river routes of the country is 6,000 kilometres during the monsoon and 4,000 kilometres in the dry season, according shipping ministry sources. About 1,620 km of river routes have totally disappeared. The farmers are now cultivating crops on these lands.
