When the government is thinking of the ecological restoration of four rivers around Dhaka, a river is losing its ecological balance due to a power plant in the eastern Gopalganj district, 210 km off the capital city.
Locals say the furnace oil-based 100MW Peaking Power Plant that came into operation on December 31, 2011, is causing a huge disaster to the Madhumati by dumping its furnace oil and burnt Mobil through drains into the river, the lifeline of at least 10 villages in the district.
The fishes and other aquatic lives have come under threat in the river. Water hyacinths are visibly dying day by day. Public sufferings have also cropped up as they are no more being able to use its water, they say, adding that even birds are not seen in the river now as in the past.
After using the polluted water, many people have suffered from skin diseases, dysentery and intestinal and many others problems and so they have stopped using it, they add.
However, the people living along the river have become helpless as most tube-wells water carry arsenic, a toxic element, and so have been struggling to collect water for their daily use for a few years.
A former Union Parishad member has told the Dhaka Tribune that it is difficult for them to live along the river because of such pollution in the river water nowadays.
Haridashpur Union Parishad’s former Ward No 9 member Abdul Kuddus Sheikh lamentably says: Deputy Commissioner Md Khalilur Rahman and the energy secretary have visited here after hearing of the river pollution. Still, furnace oil and burnt Mobil are dumped into the river whenever it rains.”
Many pieces of land have reportedly lost fertility because of using the polluted river water for irrigation.
Farmer Ranan Mandal, who lives at Sadar upazila’s Haridashpur village, says: “Paddy does not grow on the land now as before because of using the polluted water for irrigating the crop land.”
Agriculture experts suggest that this water should not be used for irrigation.
Deputy Director at the District Department of Agriculture Extension Atul Krishna Mallik says: “Farmers should not use water from this river for irrigation because it will reduce their land fertility and thus crop output.”
Medical Officer Dr Humayun Kabir Himu, who is attached to the district’s civil surgeon office, says: “The river water has become so much polluted that nobody should use it because it may cause skin diseases, cholera, dysentery, intestinal problems and even damage liver.”
There are many instances of such diseases and problems among people living along the Madhumati river. They have also said that they have suffered from such diseases and problems after using the polluted water from the river.
Manager Himangshupati Biswas, of the power plant, however denied the allegation and said furnace oil used to be dumped into the river in the past. Now it is being dumped into a pond beside the plant, The digging of that plant is still underway.
However, some furnace oil spill into the river while loading it onto the plant from the furnace oil barge. This oil is seen floating in the river. But it does not much pollute water in the river.”
