The residents of Dhaka still hope for a Pollution-free Buriganga river (Bangladesh)
Avoiding the crowds of Sadarghat (Port of Dhaka), if one stands on the banks of the Buriganga River, they will see rows and rows of dinghy boats. The boats carrying two or five passengers are running from one bank to the other bank of the river. Some even rent these boats on per hour basis too.
One of the boats belongs to Md. Alauddin. His age is over 50. He Born near the banks of the Buriganga. He runs his family by boat on this river. Numerous memories of the joys and sorrows of life surround this river.
He lost his son in this river twenty years ago. However, Alauddin could not get rid of the attachment with the river. But he now feels exhausted too because of the pollution.
The reporters had a long conversation with boatman Alauddin. The anger he had over the river after losing his son has now turned into deep attachment. He expresses his grief by recalling the faded youth of Buriganga.
He is pretty anxious about this river, which is dying of illegal occupation and continuous pollution. In his opinion, it is not possible to save this river if people are not aware of their activities. The government should also take steps to make people aware.
Despite repeated attempts by the government to protect the Buriganga from encroachment and pollution, no effective solution hasn’t come out till now. The Buriganga is still the primary source of livelihood for many people like Alauddin. They all have a deep connection with this river and demand appropriate measures to eliminate the illegal occupation and pollution of the river.
There are also allegations of constructing mills and businesses by occupying the two banks of the Buriganga. Occasional evictions of illegal installations do happen, but they fail to stop the river’s illegal occupation.
Nevertheless, the chemical waste comes from the mills and factories of the old Dhaka and Keraniganj area (Dhaka), which is a ‘steep blow to the dead.’ Besides, the household waste, including waste from various shops, ends up in the Buriganga. As a result, river pollution is gradually increasing.
The reporters also had a conversation with another boatman named Md. Abul Kashem. According to him, “I’ve been on this river for the last 30 years. I live here. The current scenario of this river is a lot more different than the time I started to live here.”
“This river was much bigger then. During the time of my forefathers, this river used to flow in front of the Nawab’s house (Ahsan Manzil). At present, the Buriganga has become very narrow due to occupation.” he added.
“And because of the narrowness of the river, Accidents happen frequently. Sometimes the boat is overturned due to the push of the launch. It is impossible to say how much risk we carry on the boat all the time.” the boatman continued.
“Earlier, the water of this river was transparent. Most of the garbage in Dhaka city falls into this Buriganga River. When the river water rises on a rainy day, the water becomes a little clearer.” he further said.
On the banks of the Buriganga, the reporters talk to the three teenaged street beggars. Their name was Milon, Rabeya and Emon. Emon said that every day, three of them collect and sell around 60 kg of plastics from the “Sadarghat river port” area of Buriganga. Many more like them make their living by collecting plastic every day.
A few more street children were bathing in the dirty water of the river. The reporters asked them if they had ever seen any fish in the river; one of them said, “Forget about fish; you can’t even find a frog in this water.”
Alauddin and Kashem and everyone like them hopes to save the Buriganga from encroachment and pollution. They also think that it’s high time to take the necessary steps.
