Dhaka Bureau: Today is World River Day. World River Day is celebrated every year on the fourth Sunday of September to raise awareness about river conservation. But the day did not come suddenly. There is also a story of love for the river behind it. The day started in the eighties, in the Canadian state of British Columbia. On the last Sunday of September 1980, Mark Angelo, a river-loving young teacher at the University of British Columbia, along with some of his students and friends, went on a river cleaning mission.
The river was popular for carrying out meetings. Mark Angelora cleaned up the filth thrown into that river. Little did they know then that it was going to make history. It is known that the number of rivers in the country has decreased by half in the last 50 years. At present, the status of many of the 383 rivers on the list of the Water Development Board is critical. As a result of pollution and unplanned industrialization, urbanization, and housing, many rivers, big and small, have lost their existence.
The government has set up the National River Protection Commission on the orders of the High Court to protect rivers and natural canals. The National River Protection Committee and various environmentalist organizations have organized various programs on the occasion of the day in Bangladesh. The day is celebrated every year to promote the importance of rivers in public life and raise public awareness. This year, the theme of World Rivers Day is ‘Waterways in our public life’. On this day, the Shitalakshya and Balu rivers of Kaliganj are organized. For the first time in 2010, an organization named Riverine People celebrated this day in Bangladesh.
Experts say rivers are disappearing due to our urbanization. We are slowly polluting and encroaching on the river. If we can’t stop these things now, then we will have trouble ahead. Kaliganj correspondent said that at one time, the Shitalakshya and Balu rivers were the source of livelihood for the people of the two banks. Once upon a time, people used to drink the water of the Shitalakshya and Balu rivers. Many people used to make a living by catching fish in this river. But with the passage of time, everything has changed.
It is far from drinking river water; now it has become difficult to get fish in the Shitalakshya and Balu rivers. Because Jaulus is losing 110 km of cold water due to pollution, the 44 km of Balu River is also almost dead. The riverside people once used the water of both rivers for domestic purposes, including cooking. According to sources related to rivers, the number of rivers in the country has decreased by half in the last 50 years. At present, the status of many of the 383 rivers on the list of the Water Development Board is critical.
Along with pollution and encroachment by land grabbers, unplanned industrialization, urbanization, housing, and the construction of bridges, culverts, and sluicegates, the existence of many other rivers, small and large, is endangered. The government has set up the National River Protection Commission on the orders of the High Court to protect rivers and natural canals. However, due to a lack of necessary manpower and other facilities, the organization is not able to fulfill its proper responsibilities. River experts say that if any activity is carried out by destroying the environment, its results remain zero. If we can’t stop these things now, then we will have trouble ahead.
Chairman of the Bangladesh River Foundation, Muhammad Monir Hossain, said that we have been doing social movements for a long time to save the Shitalakshya and Balu rivers. However, due to the lack of concerted efforts by the administration, the encroachment and pollution of the Shitalakshya and Balu rivers could not be stopped.
Gazipur Deputy Commissioner Abul Fateh Mohammad Safiqul Islam said that steps have already been taken against encroachment and pollution of the Saltadah River in Sreepur Upazila of the district. Similarly, legal action will be taken against the encroachment and pollution of the Shitalakshya and Balu rivers by the joint initiative of BIWTA, the River Commission, and the District Administration.
