Prime Minister Tareque Rahman has directed that a coordinated action plan be drawn up quickly to curb pollution of the Buriganga and other rivers around Dhaka, and that effective steps be taken to implement it. He gave the directive at a meeting titled “Buriganga River Water and Environment Improvement” in the Cabinet Division meeting room at the Bangladesh Secretariat on Thursday, deputy press secretary Shahadat Hossain Swadhin said.
The meeting discussed in detail the current environmental state of the Buriganga, Turag, Balu, Shitalakkhya and other rivers near the capital, the sources of pollution, existing challenges and long-term solutions. Untreated industrial waste discharged into the rivers, inadequate sewerage and drainage, reduced navigability of canals and weaknesses in solid-waste management were identified as the main causes of river pollution.
Emphasis was placed on ensuring the effective operation of effluent treatment plants (ETPs) at factories, improving canals and drainage, conducting regular drives against polluters, effectively enforcing existing environmental laws and further strengthening coordination among the government’s relevant agencies. Raising public awareness and ensuring citizen participation were also discussed.
The meeting placed special importance on the Department of Environment, the Bangladesh Water Development Board, Dhaka WASA, the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), RAJUK, the Dhaka North and South city corporations, the district administration and other relevant agencies working in a coordinated way. The prime minister directed that environmental groups, voluntary organisations, educational institutions and local people be involved in the effort.
The meeting decided that an inter-agency coordination committee would be formed under the supervision of the Prime Minister’s Office to draw up and effectively implement a coordinated, time-bound action plan to curb river pollution around the capital. The committee will coordinate the work of the relevant ministries, divisions and agencies and, at set intervals, review progress and submit reports to the Prime Minister’s Office.
The prime minister said: “River pollution has now reached an unbearable level. If we do not take effective steps now, we will have to answer to future generations. So there is no room for any negligence in taking strict and coordinated steps against pollution. Along with drawing up the action plan, its effective implementation must also be ensured.”
The meeting was attended by Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Commerce Minister Khondaker Abdul Muktadir, State Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Sheikh Faridul Islam, Dhaka naval area commander Rear Admiral Abdullah-Al-Maksus, the prime minister’s principal secretary ABM Abdus Sattar and senior officials of the relevant ministries and divisions.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report