Speaker and members of the parliament (MPs) yesterday made strong commitments to take every measure necessary to stop illegal grabbing and pollution of the rivers flowing through the country including those around the capital.
They said the rivers are the lifelines of the country’s economy, agriculture and livelihoods and any delay or negligence to save them would have disastrous consequences like shortage of both drinking and farm water and subsidence of soil in the city.
The pledges came at the inaugural function of a programme titled “To the Prime Minister: Save the rivers, save Dhaka”, a joint initiative of The Daily Star and Channel i held at the South Plaza of the National Parliament. The programme was live telecast by the television channel.
Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury and heads of the parliamentary standing committees on the Ministries of Land, Water Resources and Environment said they have already taken initiatives to evict land grabbers on the rivers and find ways to check dumping industrial wastes into the rivers around the capital.
“We must save our rivers, which have been seriously polluted and partly grabbed. Influential people whoever they are cannot be any barrier to the justified demands of common people,” said Speaker of the Parliament Abdul Hamid, who addressed the function as chief guest.
“I will take measure to pass the law as soon as the parliamentarians frame it.”
“We shall do everything we can to save the soil and rivers of the country,” Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury said.
She mentioned that the prime minister at a cabinet meeting clearly said no road should be constructed by destroying any arable land. If necessary, soil for road should be taken from the rivers, Matia said.
Stating that the influential people time and again stand in the way to restore the water bodies, including the canals in the capital, the agriculture minister said, “The BGMEA building, which is located in the Hatirjheel project area, is still there and maybe will remain there.”
She said the then Awami League government started re-excavating the river Gorai but BNP-Jamaat alliance government after coming to power did not grant money for the next stage of re-excavation.
“The Gorai again got its old dry face causing more salinity in the southern districts and creating obstacles to cultivation during dry season,” she said. However, the government again took initiative to re-excavate the Gorai, she added.
Abdur Razzak, chairman of the standing committee on the Ministry of Water Resources, said it is not the absence of laws, but the negligence in their application that has almost killed the rivers surrounding the capital city.
Saying that Dhaka may face the fate of Mohenjo-daro and Harappa because of its haphazard developments, Razzak said stringent laws should be made against the river grabbers and polluters.
AKM Mozammel Huq, chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on the Ministry of Land, said the government has decided to restore the 13 canals of Dhaka and will launch eviction drive against land grabbers in Gazipur today.
“We shall demarcate the areas of the rivers as per the maps and evict the grabbers whoever they are and however much influential they may be,” he said, clarifying the point that it is the land ministry, which owns the rivers and there is no controversy about it.
“In three months I hope we can come to a level that countrymen will be satisfied,” Mozammel Haque said, adding that the ministries of land and environment will hold a meeting today to find ways to make the rivers free of pollution.
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