Adjacent to Dhaka flows a river with dank, dark water that continuously spews poisonous gas. If a lit matchstick is thrown in, the surface of the river often catches fire. It is no mythical river with haunted tales woven around it. The river is a very real one with a very humble name and a more humble flow. It is the river Norai.
The river no longer carries water but a dark solution of waste courtesy of Dhaka’s sewers. Reports on the Norai and its environmental deterioration have been submitted multiple times, always without results.
With its course running through Trimohoni, Madartek and villages in Khilgaon thana before running in to the Balu river, the Norai is choked with waste from the city. With the monsoon approaching, the river is rising, and the concentration of waste is low. Even so, the water retains its murkiness and stench. In the dry seasons the Norai simply turns into a drain of poisonous, stinking wastewater.
Once a tributary of the Burigonga, the Norai is a lifeline for the households of Trimohoni, Madartek and surrounding villages in Khilgaon thana. It is still the main communication route for numerous households with the capital city and nearby markets including the Kayetpara Bazaar. There are also schools on the banks of the river, and thousands ply the river every day, and with rapid urbanisation the number continues to rise.
From large sand-carriers to koshas (small, narrow boats rowed by one), the river traffic varies greatly. Professionals, students, farmers and fishermen, all commute down the river daily and are exposed to poisonous gases and the unbearable smell. The surrounding localities often face shortages in the supply of potable water, as they are unable to use the water from the river for washing and bathing,
Waste from the city and nearby households pour into the water: a thick, oily, black solution that makes the river a death trap for fish. As a result the number of fishermen in the area has dwindled significantly.
The toxic water of the Norai and its small tributary the Gojaria Khaal is used in irrigation. The sediment and mud on the banks of the river is a sticky composition of chemical waste and rotting slime. In addition, chemical fertilisers used in adjacent areas also leech into the river.
The pollution of the river could potentially cause severe health hazards in the locality. Thousands of people depend on this river and each is more likely to be affected with every passing day. Regular inhalation of noxious gases that are released from the river can lead to immediate bouts of nausea and could have long-term health implications. Direct contact with the water can cause skin and intestinal diseases.
The destruction of the Norai is all-encompassing – aquatic life, habitat, insects, domestic animals, birds, soil fertility and nutrients, vegetation and all aspects of the human living condition. It is a case of utter destruction of aquatic ecology.
All of this comes at a high economic cost. The river, the water and the fish in it are all a common property of the masses and now all of these are essentially wasted. Loss of fish habitats and land fertility, scarcity of potable water, the introduction of water-borne diseases, the creation of unhygienic living conditions and the adverse impact on vegetation and habitat all add up to a significant amount.
Like Hatirjheel, the Norai has the potential to be a breath-taking tourist spot, adjacent to Dhaka yet far from the hubbub. City-dwellers could find some precious moments of peace along the banks of a clean Norai. Educational/ecological tours could easily be organised. Tourism based around the Norai could provide an economic boom to the surrounding locality. The water way could serve as a cost-reducing, quick, safe and clean mode of transport that would reduce congestion in our roadways.
Previous reports, studies, talks, promises and activities against pollution in the Norai have fallen flat. The much cited Section 9 of the Environment Conservation Act 1995 stating the polluters’ responsibility to “prevent or mitigate” discharge causing pollution seems to have no effect in this case. Past protests by the masses of Barograam or the twelve villages, have been in vain. There have been a number of reports in Dhaka dailies on Norai pollution. How many more times does the story need to be covered before action is taken?
The question then arises: Why has nothing effective been done to prevent the virtual death of the Norai despite studies and reports on its deteriorating state?
The situation continues to deteriorate with waste adding up every day. The persistent degeneration of ecological and human conditions of the localities on the Norai cannot go on forever. Whole localities are being affected simply because of the pollution of the river, which, ironically, also serves as their lifeline. It is now an environmental disaster and an important social issue.
The Norai and its surrounding communities demand the attention of the greater society.
This year is the Year of Water. In Davos, one expert said the world's next war will be over water. Water is turning into an expensive resource around the world. And our country is rich with regard to it. We just cannot squander and waste it.
Cleaning up the Norai could be a first step towards preserving our waters, reinstating the ecological balance, rescuing millions from lives affected by pollution and reclaiming the public resource that the masses are entitled to.
