Making rivers around Dhaka navigable

Once profusely flowing, the four rivers surrounding the capital–Buriganga, Turag, Shitalakshya and Balu– have been seriously harmed due to the mindless encroachment and other illegal activities by vested quarters. The free-flowing rivers have become a series of stagnant water bodies. The four rivers that were once alive with boats, launches and steamers carrying goods and passengers to and from the capital have already lost much of their flow and navigability.

In a welcome development, the government has taken steps for making the rivers around the capital fit for navigation. According to an agency report published in this daily yesterday, the authorities concerned are developing the rivers around Dhaka so more passenger boats can operate to ease traffic in the capital city.

The minister, while speaking at a function marking the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Water Development Board and South City Corporation in the city said “The bridges over rivers around Dhaka are not high enough to allow vessel movement…… directives have been given to demolish those and make the rivers suitable for navigation”.

The minister’s declaration comes at a time when Dhaka’s traffic has become a virtual nightmare. Bangladesh’s capital is one of the most densely populated cities in the world and lacks the road space required for the current volume of traffic to move smoothly. Ensuring the optimum use of waterways for carrying passengers will go a long way in easing the horrific traffic situation. Also, if the navigability of the rivers can be protected and a river transport network established the city’s economy will see further growth.

The minister in his speech pointed out that the waterlogging problem in Dhaka has eased this year due to the re-excavation of canals and eviction of illegal occupants.

The people want to be reassured by the minister’s statement. However, previous experiences suggest that there is little room for complacency. Previously many such well-intentioned initiatives did not see much success. The move is indeed laudable; steps to stop the encroachment, grabbing, and abuse of our rivers can and should start now. Immediate conservation efforts including registering all the rivers crisscrossing the country are very crucial as some rivers are vanishing from the map.

On many occasions, the government took up dredging projects to regain the navigability of the rivers drying up. The projects were aimed at removing faulty stretches of bridges, dams, and privately built structures disturbing the natural flow of the rivers. Unfortunately, most of the initiatives ended in failure.

Encroachers and polluters are politically and financially influential. An uphill battle against them can only be won if there is strong political commitment and social movement to save our rivers. Also, there is a need for ensuring better coordination among different government agencies. The BIWTA is entrusted with the task of tackling illegal grabbing, while the owner of the river water is the water resources ministry and the riverbanks are owned by the shipping ministry and the environment ministry is entrusted with the task of checking water pollution. Ironically ever after having so many bodies to look after the condition of the rivers continues to deteriorate.

We hope this time there will be a difference and the four rivers will regain their pristine glory. Rivers are the lifeline of this country and they are responsible for a sound environment, bio-diversity, ecological balance, flora and fauna. They play vital roles in the economic development of the country as the livelihood of millions of people is dependent on them. Rivers are the repositories of fish that provide proteins for the vast population of the country. Besides, rivers play important roles in irrigating lands.

There is no alternative to maintaining the navigability of the rivers for the benefit of the country. The government must take tough measures for the protection of the rivers in no time. Vigilance should be maintained so that in the future rivers cannot be grabbed further. There is no alternative to protecting rivers for our survival.