Causes and Remedies

of Buriganga River
Pollution
Dhaka is celebrating its 400th anniversary as the capital of Bengal proclaimed by
the Mughals in the early 17th century.It is a strategic decision by the Mughals
considering the economic, navigation and security potentials of the perennial river
Buriganga which surrounded parts of Dhaka.Since then the civilisation of Dhaka
City has been developed by the bank of the Buriganga River.The history,
livelihood,culture and heritage of Dhaka City have been largely shaped by this
small but important river.Four hundred years later the river continues to play a
very important role, since according to officials an average of 30,000 people use
the Sadarghat launch terminal,one of the largest river ports in the world,for
departure and arrival every day.But for hundreds of years the Buriganga has been
continuously abused by unplanned urbanisation and unsupervised industrialisation.
The onslaught of the resultant pollution has virtually killed the Buriganga.

Present Scenario of Buriganga River :

Hundreds of years ago, the banks of the Buriganga were a prime location when the
Mughals made Dhaka their capital in 1610.The house-turned-museum of the
Nawab (ruler) overlooks the river, which is the country's main waterway for
trading and ferry travel. It was once the main source of drinking water for Dhaka's
residents and an hour downstream from the capital city the river is still crystal
clear.In the present scenario, the river carries only wastewater during the seven
months of the dry season (November-May).Even during the wet season no aquatic
animal can survive in the dead river water. Throughout the year, inhabitants near
the river and thousands of people who travel through Sadarghat suffer a lot because
of the foul smelling water of the Buriganga.

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In recent water quality tests, the Department of Environment found the amount of
dissolved oxygen, which determines the degree of pollution, is still too low for
aquatic lives to survive in the Buriganga. Laboratory analysis of the samples shows
that presence of dissolved oxygen was between 0.50-0.84 mgs per litre
(mg/L),while standard surface water is 5 mg/L in Bangladesh. Earlier, researchers
from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) found that
oxygen levels were 0.7 and 0.25 at Chadnighat point, 0.27 and 0.63 in Norai near
Trimohini, and 0.27 and 0.63 in the Turag at Tongi before and after the monsoon
respectively.
A three-year research finds that some invertebrates and small organisms come to
life in these rivers when water flow increases in the rains. But these life forms
disappear in the dry season, the researchers add. The Institute of Water Modelling
(IWM) and the World Bank conducted a survey of pollution in Dhaka rivers in
2007 that showed there are over 300 various effluent discharge outlets in the
capital and Narayanganj. Of these,19 outlets carry mixed flows of industrial and
household waste into the rivers around the capital.

Causes Of Buriganga River Pollution :

Pollution of Buriganga River began in the Mughal period, since the sewage of the
city used to be dumped into the river. Professor Muntasir Mamoon, a historian who
has been writing books and articles on Buriganga River and other connecting
canals since early 1970s, says, "The historical documents state that people used to
get bad smell one and half kilometers away from Buriganga River even in the late
19th century Several studies on the Buriganga River have identified many causes
for the river's pollution such as sedimentation at the upstream, encroachment, and
disposal of solid wastes, sewage and industrial wastes in the river.

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Sedimentation At The Upstream:
Because of the sedimentation on the upstream, the flow of Buriganga-Turag
system gets cut off, especially during the dry season. Which is why not a single
drop water flows into the river system at that time, informs the hydrologists and
engineers of Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB). During this period
of time the system basically carries sewage and industrial effluents. And because
of high tide a little water comes from downstream.

Population Explosion:
It is estimated that world population is doubling every thirty-five years. But in case
Of Bangladesh it take twenty- twenty five years. We know that every additional
person add extra pollution. Sadarghat, the most familiar point of buriganga and
also in Dhaka. Everyday about 2.5 lakh people use this point or terminal for their
journey. Most of them illeterate and do not know how to use river side area
properly. They thrown water bottle, paper and other harmful things into the river
water. And this way river polluted vastly

Encroachment And Land Grabbing:

Encroachment, of course, has
always been a big threat to rivers
eating away the banks and
narrowing them further and
further.  Over the years, landfills
created on the river have
narrowed its width at many places
near the city. The encroachers
have set up platform like
structures on the rivers and
gradually filled out the bottoms
by piling up earth and rubbish.
Even multi-storied structures have
been built on encroached such high grounds created at the expense of the course of
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the river with the only effects being more and more narrowing it down. Politically
backed influential land encroachers have created illegal structures including
houses, bazaars, ghats (port), brickfields etc. on the river that has created obstacles
on the flow of the river. Meanwhile, the dumping of wastes into the river system
has virtually killed it.

Disposal Of Solid & Domestic Waste:

Dhaka City dwellers have been
dumping domestic wastes and
solid wastes into the Buriganga
since the Mughal period. After
hundreds of years, government
agencies such as Rajdhani
Unnyan Kartripakkha (Rajuk),
Dhaka City Corporation, Water
Supply and Sewerage Authority
(Wasa), Department of
Environment (DoE) Bangladesh
Inland Water Transport Authority
(BIWTA) and Bangladesh Water
Development Board (BWDB) have failed to stop disposal of solid wastes and
domestic wastes into the river bodies, state several reports on the Buriganga River
pollution.
According to several studies, each day about 900 cubic metres untreated domestic
and human waste are discharged into the Buriganga-Turag system. Dhaka Wasa
has only one sewage treatment plant at Pagla with a capacity of 0.12 million cubic
metres per day, which is only 10 percent of the total disposal of sewage. But,
because of mismanagement the treatment plant is using one third of its capacity.
As a result, Buriganga and other rivers and canals are Dhaka's main outlet of
sewage waste. Statistics say, up to 80 percent of Dhaka's untreated sewage is
drained in Buriganga-Turag channel.

Sewage And Industrial Waste:

Experts identified nine industrial areas in and around the capital city
Tongi,Tejgaon,Hazaribag,Tarabo,Narayanganj,Savar,Gazipur, Dhaka Export

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Processing Zone and Ghorashal
as the prime sources of river
pollution. Most of the industrial
units of these areas have no
sewerage treatment plants of
their own. More than 60,000
cubic meters of toxic waste
including textile dying, printing,
washing and pharmaceuticals
are released into the main water
bodies of Dhaka every day.
On the other hand,
appropriate system of removing
waste of the river is absent. As a result, the lifted dirt is loaded on the bank of
Buriganga instead of throwing it to the dumping stations. The sun dries up the dirt
and wind carries it back to the river. This dirt is the host of many common diseases
like diarrhea, cholera etc. Nearly 4.0 million people of the city are exposed to the
consequences of water pollution every day. 

Tannery Waste:
There are about 200 leather
tanneries in the Hazaribagh district
of Dhaka,the capital. Some use
modest technology and machinery,
but most operate as they did
decades ago and release untreated
toxic chemical waste near
residential areas.The first thing
you notice when you walk through
the streets of Hazaribagh is the
horrible and seemingly all-
pervasive stench of tanning
chemicals.According to the Department of Environment,the tanneries discharge
22,000 cubic meters of untreated liquid toxic waste daily into the rivers,gutters and
canals that run alongside in the roads of Hazaribagh.Toxins are also leaching into
groundwater.

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The chemicals end up forming coloured ponds and lakes of toxic waste in
residential areas and are causing much harm to the 20,000 people who work and
live in the tanning district. Most are suffering from chronic respiratory problems,
skin diseases and even destruction of the nasal septum.

Burnt oil dumped into Buriganga:

Apart from untreated industrial and

household wastes, burnt motor oil
and lubricant are also contributing
greatly to the pollution of the
already moribund river
Buriganga.Motor oil traders collect
burnt oil from launch operators and
refine only to sell those back to
them. In the process of refining the
muddy and pitch-black remnants are
mindlessly dumped into the
river.Around 15 motor oil traders
are engaged in refining burnt oil of
launches.“Launch operators sell the
burnt oil every two to three months. By the time each launch has around 20 litres
of burnt oil,” said Hafizur Rahman, driver of Sharnadip launch of Dhaka-
Shariatpur route.“The remains after the refinement of used oil is dumped into the
river,” said Dulal who once worked with a motor oil refiner.
Not only that, engine boats also release burnt oil into the river thus contributing to
the pollution, said Abu Naser Khan, Chairman of Save Environment
Movement.Khan said burnt oil from the motorised vehicles is thrown into the
drains, which ultimately mingles with the river water around the capital. “Burnt oil
is highly toxic,” he added.
Professor Mujibur Rahman of Bangladesh University of Engineering and
Technology (BUET) said any kind of oil pollutes water and increases the level of
pollution, which affects the eco-system of the water body.

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Remedies of Buriganga rever pollution
The Buriganga river is afflicted with multiple pollutions. It is nothing but a
crematory.Is there no hope for Buriganga? Fortunately there is. Environmental
experts ,water experts and BUET gives some necessary steps to Bangladesh
governmet for Buriganga river pollution.These prevention techniques are highlited
below.

Population Control &Make public Awareness:

Huge population explotion of dhaka one of the main reason of buriganga river
polution. According to several studies, each day about 900 cubic metres untreated
domestic and industrial effluents are discharged into the Buriganga-Turag
system.So prevent the buriganga river pollution we should make public awareness
and stop population growth of dhaka city.

Increase water flow of Buriganga:

Increase flow of the river:During the dry season, the river has a flow of only 50
cubic metre per second (cumec). One solution could be to augment the rivers of
Dhaka with freshwater from the Jamuna River which has a minimum dry season
flow of around 3500 cumec. This will not only improve the water quality of the
peripheral rivers of Dhaka but also will benefit water supply, agriculture irrigation,
fisheries and navigation. This is an ideal case of integrated water resources
management. A feasibility study on this option was carried out in 2004 by the
Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) in 2004. BWDB, under Ministry
of Water Resources, has already submitted a project titled "Augmentation of
Buriganga flow by restoring silted up links with Jamuna River' for the
consideration of the government. 

Planned Dranage System:

Obviously, the existing poor domestic sewage system needs to be improved by
installing proper drainage facilities. Besides, using the total capacity of the sewage
treatment plant at Pagla, Wasa must install more treatment plants so that a single
drop of sewage is not discharged into the river water. As for the rest of the areas
Rajuk, Dhaka City Corporation and the pourashavas must ensure that people use
septic tank systems due to absence of sanitary sewer system. At the same time, the
government agencies must provide proper facilities for routine sludging of the
septic tanks.

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Control Disposal of Solid Wastes
To control disposal of solid wastes into river Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) and
BIWTA should work together. BIWTA must force the owners of the vessels and
traders on the bank of the river to dump the solid wastes at the fixed places
provided by DCC. For any type of construction work within 50 metres of the
riverbank, clearance from BIWTA should be mandatory. All structures, especially
brickfields within 200 metres from the riverbank should be demolished. 

River Dredging
The government must allocate a budget so that BIWTA can buy sufficient dredgers
for routine dredging of the riverbed for smooth navigation. 

Move Tannery from Hazaribag:

The Ministry of Industries must take initiatives to shift the leather tanneries from
Hazaribagh to Hemayetpur, Savar with Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP)
facilities, which was supposed to be done in 2006, under the recommendation of a
task force on Buriganga formed by the government in 2003.

In order to improve water quality in Buriganga-Turag system a bill can be passed

immediately in the parliament. Professor Muntasir Mamoon suggests, "The
government should realise that unless Buriganga-Turag exist, Dhaka City will not
survive. When the bill will be passed in the parliament, it will be easier for the
government to control strictly the encroachers. At the same time, demolishing the
structures within half a mile of opposite of Dhaka City, a beautification programme
should be initiated. It will save the river from the encroachment, at the same time
people will get place for amusement, which is very important for urban dwellers.
In fact, it should be the top pledges of the parliamentarians from Dhaka
constituency to force the government to take steps to save the rivers.

References:

Internet and
Newspaper