With tanneries gone, what still ails the Buriganga
Despite about Tk4,000 crore spent on a myriad of projects, the ‘lifeline of Dhaka’ continues to flow as squalid as before
'Any problem can be solved if it is identified' seems to be a notion that is lost on the distressed Buriganga.
Nearly two years ago, the National River Conservation Commission identified 258 points where the Buriganga was polluted. But to this day, a putrid odour greets us, and sticks to us, whenever we come close to the 'lifeline of Dhaka'.
Pollution directly linked to the continuous streams of wastewater into the river, either in the form of sewage or industrial effluents, has been a persistent matter of concern for decades.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
In response, project after project was undertaken over the past 20 years in an attempt to salvage the Buriganga River, and yet it continues to flow as squalid as before.
At least Tk1,000 crore was spent to relocate Hazaribagh tanneries to Savar in 2017. But although the tanneries have moved to Savar, many tanners are still dependent on Hazaribagh for part or all of the leather processing, including cutting, drying, and colouring. As a result, the river is still being polluted by the waste coming from these dozens of illegal small rawhide processing units still in operation in the area.
Moreover, the tannery estate in Hemayetpur on the bank of the Dhaleshwari River keeps releasing solid waste and effluents, which flow downstream into the Buriganga.
The relocation of the tanneries has achieved little for the river, affecting instead the prospects for growth of the tannery industry.
Five more projects spent around Tk3,000 crore over the last two decades, but the 29-km river still flows with very little oxygen needed for aquatic life.
"Because the authorities responsible for controlling the pollution have constantly failed," says Md Abdus Sobhan, an engineer and president of the Paribesh O Jalabayu Paribartan Andolan (PARIJA) — a green campaigning organisation.
Sobhan blamed the two city corporations of Dhaka and the Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Dhaka Wasa) for poor waste management, along with the Ministry of Industries and Department of Environment for lax monitoring and enforcement of law.
On 20 March, Sobhan and his team examined the Buriganga's water quality at several points. The outcome of the study will be revealed at a press conference today [22 March].
Using the water quality multiparameter machine, the team found 0.2 milligrams per litre (mg/litre) dissolved oxygen (DO) at the Kuthibari point of the Buriganga. The minimum permissible level of DO is 4 mg/litre.
That means the existing DO does not support any life.
During the monsoon, the Buriganga's water quality improves temporarily due to an abundance of upstream flow. But the upstream flow reduces remarkably in the dry season, resulting in the deposit of solid waste on the riverbed.
The current sewerage network covers only 20% of the capital, and the city's only sewage treatment plant at Pagla processes only 30-40 million litres per day (MLD). Almost all of Dhaka's sewage, around 1,250 MLD, ends up in its rivers, as there is no sewer regulator in Bangladesh to enforce standards, a World Bank report stated.
The World Bank's report called Dhaka's river water quality "atrocious" as about 30-40% pollution load comes from domestic wastewater while industries contribute 50-60%.
The Institute of Water Modelling's Senior Specialist at Water Resources Planning Division, Ismat Ara Pervin, said that the primary solution would be to remove the thick layers of waste from the riverbed.
"Improved navigability is crucial and removing the waste will increase navigability. River encroachment should be stopped. However, dumping of solid waste along the riverside industrial areas, residential areas and markets needs to be strictly controlled," Ismat said.
Last year, the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) completed the Buriganga River Restoration (New Dhaleshwari-Pungli-Banshai-Turag-Buriganga River System) Project (2nd Revised) at a cost of Tk 1,125.59 crore.
The main objective of the project was to ensure the necessary depth for navigation throughout the year on the Buriganga and Turag rivers. Under this project, a sediment basin of 1.50 km was constructed on the New Dhaleshwari River, dredging of 2 km was done using excavators, and maintenance dredging of 2.5 km was carried out.
Additionally, dredging of 53.91 km was done on the Pungli River using excavators, and maintenance dredging of 52 km was carried out. Dredging of 20.5 km was done on the Banshai River, and 58 km on the Turag River using dredgers.
According to BWDB, through dredging of the New Dhaleshwari-Pungli-Banshai-Turag rivers, 141 cubic metres per second (cumecs) of water flow was increased in the Buriganga River, reducing water pollution and increasing navigability.
Furthermore, a project titled 'Re-excavation of Subhadhya Khal and Development and Protection of Both Banks of Subhadhya Khal under Keraniganj Upazila, Dhaka District (Phase 1)' has recently been approved at a cost of Tk 317.59 crore.
The implementation period of the project is from September 2023 to June 2026. Under this project, 14.26 km of re-excavation work will be carried out on the Subhadhya Khal along with the construction of other infrastructures. The re-excavation of this canal will increase water flow and improve water quality. BWDB officials expect that this project will have a positive impact on the Buriganga River as well.
The government has initiated an ambitious project, the 'Umbrella Investment Plan – Dhaka Rivers', with the aim of revitalising the five rivers flowing in and around the capital city within the next seven years.
This project encompasses issues like the city's sewage system, improper waste disposal, discharge of untreated industrial effluents into the rivers, and encroachment. This endeavour entails the execution of approximately forty sub-projects in phases, with an estimated expenditure of $20 billion.
Buriganga Riverkeeper and member secretary of Dhoritri Rokhhay Amra (DHORA), Sharif Jamil thinks that only the government's willpower can stop the pollution of the Buriganga.
He cited a High Court order, delivered in December 2019, to the Department of Environment to shut down the operations of all industries, factories and other structures on both shores of Buriganga River, which were running without its approval and polluting the river.
"The identified polluters still keep polluting the river. The riverside industries including dyeing factories, despite having ETP, still release the effluents untreated," Jamil said.
The industries have sought necessary land to implement clustered ETPs but failed. Jamil added, "A clustered ETP could be set up particularly at Shyampur where about 100 dyeing factories are located. There is a barren land of Dhaka Wasa. But the industry owners are not being given the land.
"All the projects on the Buriganga were piecemeal. That's why they were not successful. I strongly believe that the condition of the Buriganga River has not improved because the government didn't want it," he concluded.
