We Have Failed as a Nation in Environmental Protection: Rizwana Hasan
During a policy dialogue on reviving Dhaka’s rivers, Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Advisor to the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, expressed that the nation has failed in protecting the environment. She emphasized that our priority in environmental protection has not been nature-entered or nature-friendly.
Referring to the ongoing crisis with Bangladesh’s rivers, the advisor mentioned, “The rivers are biologically dead. When your environmental performance ranking among 180 countries is 179, moving it up to 50 is extremely challenging. Moving from 179 to 50, 60, or 70 is really tough. But once you bring it to 70, you can quickly make progress. We are at 179, which shows we have failed as a nation collectively.”
Syeda Rizwana Hasan spoke at a policy dialogue, “Reviving Dhaka’s Rivers: Policy Options for Sustainable Management,” at North South University on September 22, 2025.as organized by the South Asian Institute of Policy and Governance (SIPG) at NSU. in the realm of development thinking. She said, “We are killing the ecosystem. What you kill, you cannot give birth to. You cannot recreate it. You can build hundreds of tannery factories, but you cannot create another Buriganga.”
Rizwana Hasan noted that restoring the river system is a lengthy process, saying, “Finding a solution in one or one and a half years is impossible,” while discussing this issue with the World Bank.
In the policy dialogue, the environmental advisor shared some of the government’s plans for river producing the policy dialogue, the environmental advisor outlined the government’s river protection plans, which involve creating a restoration framework, cleaning riverbeds, removing pollutants, managing waste, regularly monitoring water quality and environmental standards, and ensuring environmental protection.es from India and Nepal’s river restoration efforts.
In a discussion on the Chittagong-Cox’s Bazar railway line, Rizwana Hasan questioned the need for such a project. She called it “a hype from political leaders” that has resulted in the destruction of natural forests and elephant corridors for their own economic gain.
Mohammad Ejaz, the Administrator of Dhaka North City Corporation, stated that political will is crucial for river protection. He emphasized that if the sources of pollution are controlled, it will be possible to save Dhaka’s rivers. The primary sources of pollution in Dhaka come from Gazipur and Savar. Planning should consider these sources, or it will waste resources, which is already occurring.
The policy dialogue shared findings from the research ‘Integrated Risk Assessment of Heavy Metal Pollution in Dhaka’s River Waters for Sustainable Resource Management.’ The research is still ongoing.
The research reveals high pollution levels in Dhaka’s major rivers caused by unregulated industrialization and poor waste management. Dhaka’s rivers are severely polluted with toxic heavy metals like cadmium, lead, arsenic, chromium, nickel, and copper, surpassing national and international safety limits. The pollution levels are especially high during the dry season, particularly in the winter months.
Severe pollution threatens both aquatic life and human health. The financial loss due to pollution-related deaths and illnesses is estimated to be $7.5 million annually.
An article presented at the dialogue addressed the causes of river pollution in Dhaka, as well as possible remedies. The dialogue recommended mandatory liquid waste treatment plants (ETPs) and green tariffs, along with urgent policy interventions to combat pollution.
The dialogue was led by Professor Abdul Hannan Chowdhury, Vice Chancellor of North South University, and moderated by Professor Sheikh Tawfiq M. Hoke. Other speakers included Mohammad Ejaz, Administrator of Dhaka North City Corporation, and Commodore Arif Ahmed Mustafa, Chairman of BIWTA.
