Standing in the original channel of the Buriganga, the once tar-black water is now much clearer. Instead of a foul smell, the riverbanks are now filled with a touch of clean air.
A ‘floating interceptor’ or floating waste collector is set up in Buriganga. Engineers from the Netherlands and Bangladesh worked together to achieve this, helping to make the river free of plastic.
How does technology work? Five huge ‘interceptor’ robots have been installed at different estuaries of the Buriganga. These robots automatically filter and collect plastic bottles, polythene and other solid waste that come with the current.
In 2026, these machines are gathering around 100 tons of plastic waste from the river each day. This waste used to go straight into the Bay of Bengal.
Waste to Wealth: The collected plastics are being sent to a refinery set up on the banks of the river. There, the plastic is being melted down to make bitumen for road construction and fuel oil. In 2026, the waste of Buriganga has now become a profitable raw material.
Civic Awareness and Future: Huge green parks and walkways have been built on both banks of the river. The river is deeper now because of dredging, so fish are swimming through it again.
This Buriganga of 2026 shows that even a sick river can revive with the right technology and strong political support.
