The local Meghna River has been polluted by the Chandpur Municipality authorities who have turned the river into a dumping ground for garbage.
Consequently, the ecosystem of the river is on the verge of destruction and the authorities are paying no heed to this situation.
Locals alleged that the municipality authorities for the past one year have been dumping garbage into the Meghna River. Ten vehicles on a daily basis come through the Horisova area, which also includes hazardous materiel disposed off by local public and private hospitals.
Thousands of locals who are dependent on the river allege that they were unable to use the water as the dumping caused the pollution levels to rise very quickly.
On the other hand, the authorities opined that they were maintaining a healthy environment in the municipality by dumping garbage in the river as they had no garbage disposal dumps.
Anisur Rahman, hilsa fellow and senior scientific officer of Chandpur Fisheries Research Institute, said ecological environment of the Meghna River was quickly going out of balance due to this dumping, even the water that will soon become unusable in the near future.
Siddiqur Rahman Dali, Chandpur Municipality Panel Mayor and also its ward no 2 commissioner, told the Dhaka Tribune that: “For the time being there is no way to dump the waste except for in the Meghna River although waste dumping is going on in three other spots. The environment of the town will be deteriorate if the garbage dumping in the river is stopped.”
About the river pollution, the mayor said he would place the issue in their upcoming meeting and they will try their best to come up with an alternative way to minimise the problem.
Local Department of Environment (DoE) Assistant Director Md Arefin Badol blamed the municipality authorities for the pollution, saying it has no right to do so. He had already visited the dumping spots and the DoE in this regard will soon issue a legal notice to the authorities, the AD continued.
