ONLY two out of 300 recommendations of the National River Conservation Commission’s eviction of the encroachments on rivers and controlling pollution were partially implemented by the authorities concerned. The non-compliant departments include District Administrations, BIWTA, the Water Development Board, the Department of Environment and at least a dozen others.
Since inception in August 2014, the NRCC made over 300 recommendations for the restoration of rivers and the connected canals flowing through 49 districts to these relevant agencies. Only two recommendations relating to restoration of the Boral River by evicting encroachers in Pabna, Natore and Rajshahi and restoring the Dhaleshwari river by evicting encroachers from Savar to Manikganj were partially implemented by the concerned district administrations.
Despite the Commission’s recommendations, the encroachers were not removed from the Padma, Meghna, Brahmaputra, Gomoti, Buriganga, Shitalakhya, Surma, Karnaphuli, Halda and the other major rivers. Even, the District Administration also didn’t take any action against the encroachers and polluters.
Environmentalists criticized the authorities concerned for not empowering the NRCC and not providing the manpower it needs to function as the core authority to protect rivers from encroachment and pollution as the High Court Division had directed on June 6, 2009.
We know, the encroachers are very much influential. And so, no visible sign was around that the court’s directives were carried by 17 agencies of 11 Ministries. This can happen when the local administration is quite happy to let encroachers abuse the rivers by encroachment.
But this would have a negative effect on the rivers as their ecology would be disturbed and the environmental balance would be put into disequilibrium due to this. Turning a river healthy once it is dead will cost more money than keeping the river alive when it still can be done. If the district and other administrations don’t understand this and give free space to people who have strong ties to the local elite and whose only intent is to monetize the river banks then our rivers will continue to die.
Since inception in August 2014, the NRCC made over 300 recommendations for the restoration of rivers and the connected canals flowing through 49 districts to these relevant agencies. Only two recommendations relating to restoration of the Boral River by evicting encroachers in Pabna, Natore and Rajshahi and restoring the Dhaleshwari river by evicting encroachers from Savar to Manikganj were partially implemented by the concerned district administrations.
Despite the Commission’s recommendations, the encroachers were not removed from the Padma, Meghna, Brahmaputra, Gomoti, Buriganga, Shitalakhya, Surma, Karnaphuli, Halda and the other major rivers. Even, the District Administration also didn’t take any action against the encroachers and polluters.
Environmentalists criticized the authorities concerned for not empowering the NRCC and not providing the manpower it needs to function as the core authority to protect rivers from encroachment and pollution as the High Court Division had directed on June 6, 2009.
We know, the encroachers are very much influential. And so, no visible sign was around that the court’s directives were carried by 17 agencies of 11 Ministries. This can happen when the local administration is quite happy to let encroachers abuse the rivers by encroachment.
But this would have a negative effect on the rivers as their ecology would be disturbed and the environmental balance would be put into disequilibrium due to this. Turning a river healthy once it is dead will cost more money than keeping the river alive when it still can be done. If the district and other administrations don’t understand this and give free space to people who have strong ties to the local elite and whose only intent is to monetize the river banks then our rivers will continue to die.
