Thousands of fishermen in Savar are passing days in hardship, while the majority of them have already left their hereditary profession due to excessive pollution of rivers and canals. Environmentalists said there is no difference between river water and sewer water and no fish can survive in such polluted water. There are about 120 dyeing factories and 60 washing factories in the township apart from the tannery estate. Factory authorities run effluent treatment plants when high government officials or investigators visit and stop running them afterward.
Rivers are not only being polluted by industrial waste but authorities in all municipalities and city corporations across the country have developed sewerage lines that discharge waste to the rivers. Even different service agencies like the Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (WASA) in the capital of Dhaka drain a huge amount of waste into surrounding rivers. Bangladesh produces 3,000 tons of plastic waste every day while three major rivers carry 73,000 tons of plastic waste to the Bay of Bengal daily. Greedy people, having links with the government, have already occupied a huge part of rivers that are not on the government’s list. In such cases, concerned authorities mostly fail to take legal action.
Encroachment and pollution of the river force its fish into extinction. Major portion of river banks in the bustling suburb was occupied by influential people, while local administration remained silent. The government must be hard against the polluters and steadfast to protect water bodies not only protecting the environment but also the livelihood of millions. By polluting rivers, we actually threaten our future and put us before an existential crisis. Before imposing legal steps, the government should encourage people to take responsibility so they can be protectors of rivers. Without engaging people, the government cannot alone protect the rivers from polluters and grabbers.
