EXPERTS at a seminar on ‘finding strategies to save the rivers around the capital and the immediate steps’ that need to be taken have called for a master plan and its proper execution to protect those rivers from illegal encroachers and polluters who are routinely destroying those rivers endangering city life and environment. The National River Protection Commission held the event and their discussion highlighted the perils of the four rivers flowing around the capital, reports a national daily on Thursday. But what appears highly dismaying is the fact that despite such regular discussion on river protection and alerts issued to the authorities concerned, there is no qualitative change in actions and outlook of the government to save those rivers. Responsible government officials were also present in the latest discussion and they are equally informed of the dangers if the rivers get dead as they are losing water depth with pollution running at its worst. The government officials in the seminar claimed they have already procured 14 dredgers for river dredging and buying 20 more dredgers. The government has moreover taken up a project for dredging 53 rivers at a cost of Tk 11,470 crore and work on 24 rivers has already started. For river Balu and Shitalakhya running around the city, experts recommended short term, mid term and long-term initiatives including crash programmes to stop pollution of river water by industries on their banks. For Turag and Buriganga rivers they also made similar recommendations. They suggested stronger mass awareness programme to involve citizens’ participation to saving rivers. They also called for setting up waste treatment plants and efficient WASA sewerage lines to stop polluted water running into the rivers. Almost everything was discussed and nothing left to show the seriousness to save those rivers. But their deliberations had hardly any link to everyday development in the ground. The government has dredgers but not enough dredging; it has enough budgetary fund but not properly disbursing it to go to targeted activities. Political forces are eating away public fund while corruption and misuse of the money by people at high places are defeating moves to protect rivers. It is not acceptable that a master plan is yet to be worked out for the four rivers, it is too late. The view of an expert in the seminar that if the four rivers around the Dhaka city cannot be saved, other rivers across the country would not be spared either is highly sensitive. In fact, powerful grabbers and polluters are at work having their ties with political quarters. They are irresistible. So the political will of the government to apply laws on grabbers and polluters is most important if those rivers need to be saved. In our view, it is high time environmental campaigners must bring pressure on the authorities concerned to develop the master plan for four rivers and execute it soon. Otherwise buying of dredgers and a big budget will not save the rivers, except accelerating corruption and misuse of public funds.
