Dredging of Bakkhali, the only important river in Cox’s Bazar, is going to start soon as the government sanctioned Tk24 crore for the work.
According to sources, Water Development Board (WDB) sent a proposal of Tk225 crore to the Ministry of Water Resources on September,18, 2013, for dredging of the river.
But, the ministry did not sanction any budget in last two years for the work of the river.
Recently the government had assigned a project for the development of the river and sanctioned Tk24 crore, said WDB Executive Engineer Sabibur Rahman.
The sources said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina declared the dredging of the river when she visited the district in 2011.
Later, the WDB sent a proposal to the ministry to excavate the river.
The ministry ordered the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority to complete the work.
The authority could not start the work until 2013.
Later, the ministry handed over the project to WDB.
According to sources, the pollution level of the river had risen to an all time high. But the local environment authorities had allegedly been inactive.
Local officials at the Department of Environment (DoE) argued that they were unable to take any measures because of a shortage of manpower and money.
They stressed the need for a coordinated approach by the municipal authorities, district administration and environmental groups to combat the problem.
The level of pollution was rising because household wastes produced by more than five lakh people living in the district were dumped there.
The DoE tested samples collected from several parts of the river and found that the level of dissolved oxygen (DO), total dissolved solids (TDS) and biological oxygen demand (BOD) vary greatly in comparison to the standard values.
The DoE official warned that a lack of effective action would make the river more polluted than the Buriganga.
Twelve tonnes of wastes from the municipal area are dumped in the water bodies every day and more than half end up in Bakkhali River, said Fazlul Quader Chowdhury, director of Green Cox’s Bazar.