The encroachment of rivers are carried out by politically influential people, while religious sentiments are often exploited to grab land by setting up mosques on the encroached spaces of the Buriganga River, leaders of Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (Bapa) have said.
They made the observations yesterday at a press conference on the latest condition of Buriganga River, organised jointly by Bapa and Buriganga Riverkeeper at the Dhaka Reporters Unity.
Bapa General Secretary Abdul Matin termed encroachment and pollution as the main problems of the river, adding that: “90% pollution in Buriganga River happens by chemical pollution and rest of the 10% happens for biological pollution.”
Findings by the Bapa showed that waste materials from tanneries and industries contributed to 60% of the pollution, while Dhaka Wasa and Dhaka City Corporation contributed a further 30%.
Without disclosing any names, Matin claimed that Bapa had a list of the encroachers and was ready to provide it to the government.
Demanding that the government clarifies whether it would close the second channel of Buriganga, Matin, however, said even an active river-saving government task force would not be able to do anything as the local administration was not sincere enough.
Bapa’s Joint Secretary Sharif Jamil said the encroachers were using religious sentiment by establishing mosques on grabbed lands to encroach the Buriganga River.
He also illustrated comparisons of river encroachment during recent years, which showed that the trend was increasing unabatedly.
Jamil also pointed out that the relocation of the tanneries has not been carried out yet.
Speakers at the programme blamed the authorities concerned for failing to take necessary steps for saving the river, adding that the government was paving a way for the encroachers by setting up demarcating pillars on the river.
Urging the government to keep its promise of saving Buriganga, Bapa also placed a twelve-point demand to save the river.
Among others, Bapa Vice-President Prof M Feroze Ahmed and Buriganga Bachao Andolon Coordinator Mihir Biswas spoke at the programme.