Action will be taken against river encroachers – Bangladesh Water Resources Advisor
Syeda Rizwana Hasan, a leading environmentalist and advisor in Bangladesh’s Interim Government, in charge of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MOEFCC) and the Ministry of Water Resources (MOWR), said, “All the District administrators of Bangladesh have been instructed to take legal action against river encroachers.”
“There is a list of occupants; action will be taken accordingly. Divisional commissioners must submit plans within two months to remove encroachments from all rivers in the country. It will be possible to free the rivers, canals and reservoirs with the cooperation of the people,” she added.
She said these things during a press briefing yesterday after visiting the Gomti River erosion area affected by the recent floods in Comilla’s Burichang Upazila.
The advisor said that information on floods and rainfall will be sought from India. She said, “There may be a discussion on water sharing, but there should not be a problem in telling when the gate will be opened.” Besides, she said, apart from India, multilateral discussions will also be undertaken with other countries along the river.
The environmental adviser also commented that sand extraction from the river has become a form of banditry. She stated that the district administrators have declared sand from the river as a source of revenue, ignoring numerous objections from the public.
“Just as there is scope for declaration of validity, there is also scope for abolition.”
She emphasized the need to decide if sand traders or the government should dredge the river.
She said she came to Musapur regulator site that was washout during the recent flood to understand the problem from the people’s perspective, not just the government’s viewpoint.
There will be no change if the people and the government are different entities. People and government should come together to solve the problem. We came to the riverside area and listened to the local people.
Government estimates indicate that river erosion leaves 30,000 people destitute annually, while the private sector affects over 100,000.
She mentioned that the Muchapur regulator is necessary to prevent saltwater encroachment but noted, “Building a regulator takes time.” It has a process. Even if we want to build the regulator quickly, it will take two-three years. Locals have proposed to remove the sand from the char that has been here.
Maintenance dredging should be done along with capital dredging in the river. The government has to think about both regulators and dredging. We will consider which one will be most effective. The one that is effective will be implemented first.
