Syed Shemul Parvez :
After the eviction drive, river bank protection work is going on around the capital city. However, the authorities have not yet taken any effective initiative to decontaminate the rivers around the capital city. As a result, the rivers are being poisoned by pollution.
The river water around Dhaka has been containing huge industrial waste, sewage, antibiotics, penicillin and many other high levels of harmful substances since long.
According to the recent data, about 1.16 million cubic meter of sewage is falling in the city rivers every day through sewerage lines and canals.
About 260,000 cubic meters of solid waste is falling into the rivers also.
Above all, about 400 drains and sewerage lines are being used to kill the rivers around the capital city daily.
Besides, all the rubbish and excrement of the passengers of millions of sail sewer and ships are going directly into the river water.
Ultimately thousands of people on the banks of the river are suffering from skin diseases, typhoid, jaundice or hepatitis.
Meanwhile, the BIWTA Chairman Commodore Golam Sadeq said no new launches are being approved without the ETP system.
However, Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives (LGRD) Minister Md Tajul Islam said that ETP will be set up around Dhaka city in coordination with City Corporations and WASA.
The canals have already been handed over to the city corporations and they have started the renovating work as responsibility, LGRD Minister said.
Earlier, he said that a new city will be built on the banks of the Turag River near Dhaka and Old Dhaka will be rebuilt in a modern way.
“The work is underway to build a state-of-the-art scenic city on the banks of the Turag River with all modern amenities, including good environment. In addition, old Dhaka will be rebuilt in a modern way. If this is done, the people of the country will no longer have to travel abroad rather foreigners will come to visit Dhaka city,” he further added.
State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury said that the work is underway to bring ships from Japan and Korea to lift the riverbed waste.
The concerned people think that the work of protecting the river banks around Dhaka city which has been going on for the last three years will become meaningless if the water cannot be made usable by de-pollution.
