Encroachment, pollution leaves Turag tottering [ Tritiyo Matra News ]

Encroachment, pollution leaves Turag tottering

Local January 28, 2016

Turag River — one of the four rivers surrounding the capital city Dhaka — has been reduced to a stagnant cesspit as encroachers and factories continue to encroach upon and pollute the river.
The river is the upper tributary of the river Buriganga, which flows through Gazipur and meets Buriganga at Mirpur.
During a recent visit, it was found that many portions of the river had lost navigability due to the shrinking of its size, caused by encroachment on both sides of the river.
Factories located on both sides of the river were discharging toxic liquid waste directly into the river from many points.
The Department of Environment collected sample from near the Ijtema field in Tongi along Turga River, to prepare its River Water Quality Report since 2010.
According to the report, Dissolved Oxygen concentration in Turag river had virtually become nil in January and April 2010 and 2011, when the standard level of DO for fisheries is greater than or equal to 5mg per litre.
In 2012, the level was nil from March to June, and in 2013, DO level varied from 0 to 4.6mg/l. On March 11, 2015, the DO level was 0 at the sample area.
The reports also found that the level of biochemical oxygen demand in river Turag was very high against a standard level of less than or equal to 6mg per litre for fisheries.
In 2005-06, the highest BOD level was 12mg/l in the river Turag. On March 20, 2014, BOD level was 130mg/l.
SM Imamul Huq, Barisal University vice chancellor and former professor of Dhaka University soil, water and environment department, told New Age that the river could be revived only if the factories stopped dumping waste into it.
DoE director (monitoring and enforcement) AKM Mizanur Rahman said they were regularly sending notices to the industries that dumped waste into the river and fined them.
Just near Sinnirtek Landing station of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority in Mirpur, it was found that the river had been encroached from both sides by land-filling on the bank and bed of the river, just under the nose of BIWTA.
From Sinnirtek to Birulia Bridge, many portions of the river bank has been encroached while the riverbed has been filled up near the bridge for a freedom fighters’ housing project named Muktijuddha Palli Punorbasan Kendra and Dhaka Boat Club.
Dhaka Boat Club manger Kaosar Alam, however, said they were setting up the boat club by purchasing land from individual owners.
Many pillars were missing and some pillars had been dismantled at many points of the river.
A government committee led by the land ministry joint secretary for survey during its visit to the river in July, 2014 also found encroachment of the river at many portions, which disrupted the water flow.
According to the report of the committee, Danish Housing, Mir Akhter Cement Ready Mix, Agro Vita, Crown Cement Ready Mix, a community centre named Gaon Gram and NDE Ready Mix (Seven Rings) had filled up a large portion of the riverbed and its floodplain at Digun, Deul and Bhatulia mouza.
At Jahurabad mouza, the local land grabbers had grabbed a part of the river by building mosques and dwellings.
The committee also found Azmir Garments and MN Fabrics had grabbed a large portion of the river at Faidabad mouza, setting up many signboards of different companies, including of Uttara Housing and Global Housing, on the riverbed at Ujanpur Mouza.
In the Gazipur part of the river, the committee found Sajid Washing Plant, Dhaka International Central Medical College, Anwar Group, a company named Jaber Jubair, while a number of anonymous individuals and groups have grabbed a large portion of the riverbed at Machhimpur and Pagar Mouza through land filling.
Md Tofazzal Hossain Mia, deputy commissioner of Dhaka district, admitted that the size of the river was shrinking fast with rampant encroachment of its bed and bank.
He said that they evicted Amin Momin Housing and recovered 27.27 bigha land from Katasur part of the river.
Tofazzal said their efforts went in vain as the recovered land was encroached again due to negligence of other authorities responsible for protecting it.
Syeda Rizwana Hasan, chief executive of Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association, said that the grabbers were the influential individuals or groups and the government did not to actually evict them.