Violation of Prime minister (Bangladesh) instruction, rivers remain in danger
Sheikh Hasina, the prime minister of Bangladesh, instructed several times to release the occupied river. However, environmentalists claimed that despite knowing that various government organizations are involved in river occupation and pollution.
On International Climate Working Day-2021, the environmental organizations Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA) and Waterkeepers Bangladesh have staged a ‘climate strike’ to eliminate this ‘dialectic.’
Sharmin Morshed, joint secretary of BAPA and convener of Nadi Raksha Jote (National River Protection Coalition), who presided over the program, said, “We want to see this Dhaka of ours in the previous state. When, there used to flow transparent river and abundance of green, which already long gone due to pollution.”
“Why the rivers are not getting unoccupied despite repeated statements by the Prime Minister, “Putting this question upfront, she further said that, “Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is repeatedly setting up commissions and task forces to clear the river.”
Bu seemingly government agencies, even the Bangladesh Water Development Board itself, are getting involved in river occupation, river pollution. We want to get rid of this persuasion.
We all need to come forward to take forward the river protection activities of the Prime Minister, and her government must come to a stronger position. My question is ‘why the instructions of the Prime Minister keep disobeyed. ‘
Advocate Raoman Smita, Member Secretary of Juba BAPA (BAPA young wing), read out the keynote address.Some parts of her keynote speech are following-
The balance of natural productive forces getting disturbed due to various human activities against the environment and environmental catastrophe is taking place as a whole.
Climate change is accelerating the destruction of the country’s rivers, reservoirs, biodiversity, and environment. We have blamed only developed countries for climate change and pollution, but at present, developing countries are equally responsible for all the breakdowns.
Regardless of developed, underdeveloped, and developing, everyone has become equal in the competition of pollution. If this pollution does not stop now, Bangladesh and the whole world will be in crisis in the coming days.
Noting that the pollution is taking place due to the over-enthusiasm of dishonest politicians and bureaucrats, she said such hateful acts organizing due to the over-enthusiasm of a class of corrupt politicians and bureaucrats in the country.
Rivers are being turned into canals through unacceptable steps to legitimize illegal establishments that have been formed by occupying vast areas, riverbanks, and slopes. Simultaneously, constructing walkways in place of rivers by wrongly marking river boundaries without properly following the directions of the river court.
Above all, unplanned and uncontrolled sand extraction, as well as unscientific mining, are ensuring the death of rivers in Bangladesh.”
Following her keynote address, she presented BAPA and water keepers Bangladesh’s eight demands for protecting rivers and water bodies. All of the directions in the honorable High Court’s 2009 judgment and the honorable Supreme Court’s 2020 verdict on rivers should be appropriately implemented, according to one of the essential demands.
On an urgent basis, all the country’s rivers, including the Buriganga, need to be restrained appropriately. The lands of the evicted rivers must recover and occupy, complete eviction and return of illegal infrastructure, and returning of river lands.
They also demand to stop all kinds of pollution and the unplanned extraction of resources from the river. Destructive unscientific excavations for the river must stop. The National River Protection Commission has turned into a more effective and active institution.
