1) Introduction

The Buriganga River is the main river flowing beside Dhaka city, capital of Bangladesh. The average

depth is 25 feet (7.6 m) and maximum depth is 58 feet (18 m). Old Dhaka was established as a provincial

capital of the Mughal ruler on the north-eastern bank of the Buriganga River during 1608-10, although

the settlement is known to have been in existence since the 7th century as a small riverside township.

This river has enormous significance to the residents of Dhaka City, the capital of Bangladesh. Not only

does it surround two sides of the city, it provides important services to the residents, including water

supply, navigation, recreation, and sanitation and flood control. This vital river however has become

extremely polluted and is close to biological death for several reasons. The tremendous increase in

population over the last three decades has created enormous environmental problems, including among

others the disposal of solid waste, sewage and drainage problems. Furthermore, there are several

industrial locations within Dhaka city which pose challenges for the environmentally sound management

of industrial discharges. The water quality of the Buriganga River has been seriously affected by the

dumping of municipal waste and toxic industrial discharges from industries on its banks, especially from

the tanneries of the Hazaribagh. The problems are compounded by the development of residential areas

along the river-bank, increasing encroachment upon the land due to accretion on the river-banks,

depletion of fish resources and loss of aquatic life.

2) Present situation

To understand the current situation facing the Buriganga River it is essential to understand the volume,

variety and types of dumping the river is receiving. The 343 tannery units located in Hazaribagh, on the

bank of Buriganga River, discharge some 21,600 square meters of liquid wastes everyday into the

Buriganga River. These harmful effluents, which include chromium, lead, sulfur, ammonium, salt and

other materials, are severely polluting the Buriganga River. Some of these pollutants are known

carcinogens. There are 627 dyeing units situated beside the Buriganga River near Jinjira and Keraniganj

areas. From these industries, 5000 square meters, of effluents are discharged into the Buriganga River

on a daily basis. These effluents contain some toxic chemicals such as epoxy, polyurethane, epilux,

enamel, ductile silvery white metal ,hydrochloric acid, alkalis, lime, caustic soda, aluminum, zinc

chromate, zinc phosphate, asbestos etc. There are 234 fertilizer industries are situated in Fatulla,

Faridabad, Bosilla, Damra beside the Buriganga River. From these industries approximately 9000 square

meters of effluents are discharged everyday into the Buriganga River. The effluents contain lots of

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hazardous pollutants such as ammonia, urea, carbon slurry, oil, methanol, hydrocyanic, alkali, water

containing chromate. Apart from these, a large number of random dumping starting from household

products to all kinds of daily commercial wastes, the volume of which is nearly impossible to estimate,

goes into the River. According to Daily Star Magazine, Volume 8 Issue 64, April 3, 2009, each day about

900 cubic meters untreated domestic and industrial effluents 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

meters 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. Up to 80 percent of Dhaka's untreated

sewage is drained in Buriganga-Turag channel. Each day a huge volume of domestic waste of the entire

area from Gazipur to Munshiganj, is discharged into Turag-Buriganga rivers. Along the riverbanks

between Kamrangir Char Bridge and the second Buriganga Bridge, tons of wastes are dumped into the

river every day.

Picture 1: Industrial Effluent flow into Buriganga River

It must be kept in mind the based on the rapid in migration of people into Dhaka; land grabbing is a

serious issue in Dhaka City. The Buriganga is also a casualty. River land is reclaimed and built upon. This

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encroachment of illegal settlements means river bed loss and a narrower river bed in turn exacerbates

the existing problems.

Picture 2: Illegal settlement on Buriganga shore

3) Impacts on Ecosystem

The term ecosystem refers to the combined physical and biological components of an environment. The

impacts or an effect on dumping on the Buriganga ecosystem is vast. For the purpose of this report we

will focus on the impacts on the aquatic system itself and the native population of fishes based on

relevant physical factors.

Previously the diverse fishes found fishes found in the Buriganga River included Rui, Katla, Mrigal, Kajuli,

Mola, porpoises, Raj Puti, Tangra, Koi, Chanda, Gojar, Taki, Shol, Gras cup, Chabli, Chapila, Bata, Khoil,

Batashi, Pabda, Pangas, Poa, Rita, Potka, Boal, Kakila etc. Most of these fishes are now extinct owing to

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the dumping. The some physical parameters of the Buriganga ecosystem adversely impacted by

dumping are presented in the following section.

a) Dissolved oxygen (DO)

Dissolved oxygen is one of the most important factors in water quality assessment and reflects the

physical and biological processes prevailing in natural water. Its presence is essential to maintain the

higher forms of biological life in water. According to Yusuf et al 2006, average DO concentrations around

4 locations of Buriganga were reported as 6.1, 6.45, 6.55, 6.4 mg/l respectively. Though this is above the

average DO required for aquatic biota (5 mg/l), the increased dumping that has been going on since

2006 has further depleted the DO due to increased BOD which is discussed in the next section.

b) Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD)

BOD is of great importance in water quality assessment and aquatic organism survival. It is the oxygen

demanded by microorganisms to aerobically degrade the organic matter present in water. Similar to this

is the nitrogenous oxygen demand which is the oxygen demanded to degrade nitrogen containing

matter. Both these processes severely deplete DO in aquatic systems. Due to the unwarranted addition

of both organic matter and industrial fertilizer wastes (that contain nitrogenous compounds), the DO

levels in Buriganga have severely decreased so that the ecosystem can no longer support fish species.

Picture 3: Biological wastes dumped into Buriganga

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c) Temperature

For Bangladesh, 24o-28o C temperature is standard for aquaculture. However, it is also possible at 22o-

320 C (Nasser 2005). But the problem is that some other parameters may change with temperature rise

and fall (Nasser 2005). This will definitely interfere with fish breeding, growth and longevity. Sudden

temperature fluctuations are as important as temperature rise in the long run and can have similar

effects. The temperature fluctuation brought about by effluent inflow and dumping in Buriganga has

lead to such severe fish depletion.

d) Nutrient accumulation

Nutrient accumulation refers to an increase of such chemicals like nitrates and phosphates that promote

growth of unwanted aquatic organisms. According to Yusuf et al 2006, the values of ammonia

concentration were very high (2.6 to 22 mg/ l) due to rotten material with industrial effluent, fertilizer

from surrounding agricultural fields, and the residual parts of fish biota in the Buriganga river. Excess

nutrients favor the growth of algae (algal bloom) and other unwanted aquatic organism which further

deplete DO in water especially when they die. This is one of supporting factors for such fish depletion as

a result of dumping.

Picture 4: Biological wastes that reach Buriganga River and may facilitate eutrofication

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e) Toxic chemicals

The increases amount of pollution load of toxic chemicals into the Buriganga is directly responsible for

the destruction of its ecosystem. To name a few, these include chemicals like epoxy, polyurethane,

epilux, enamel, ductile silvery white metal ,hydrochloric acid, alkalis, lime, caustic soda, aluminum, zinc

chromate, zinc phosphate, asbestos, chromium, ammonia, phosphate and others, all of which are toxic

to aquatic biota at different levels.

Furthermore these factors have had a similar effect on the aquatic plants of the Buriganga ecosystem.

The reduction of the diversity of plants meant serious imbalances in the food chain which again is a key

factor, contributing to the depletion of the aquatic animal species. The Ganges River Dolphin is now on

IUCN's Red List of Threatened Species.

Picture 5: Sewage wastes flowing into Buriganga

f) Oil and grease

The Buriganga is dotted by thousands of trawlers that are used to transport good and people to and

from the main city. An immense amount of oil and grease enter the water from these. Furthermore

there are many diesel engines at workshops on the shores of the River for generating power for various

uses. A good share of oil and other lubricants from such devices reach the water was well. Visiting the

launches and trawler it was seen that a lot of cooking activities were being carried out onboard. Launch

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and trawler crew mentioned that they daily cooked for an average of 100 people onboard. Interestingly,

the water source for all cooking, washing, toilet and bathing on the launches and trawlers ware pumped

up from the Buriganga itself using tube wells onboard. Naturally all this waste water, the cooking

residues, the leftover food was dumped into the river.

Because of such activities there is thin film of oily liquid on top of the water surface. This prevents

sunlight from entering the already turbid and murky water and can reduces the dissolution of

atmospheric oxygen in the River water.

Picture 6: Oil, grease and petrochemical source near Buriganga

4) Impacts on Ground water

Groundwater pollution is not directly exposed to surface polluting activities; numerous natural and

anthropogenic activities cause groundwater pollution. A number of physical, chemical and biochemical

(and microbiological) processes cause alteration of groundwater properties either by addition of new

elements/ions/compounds or by increasing the existing concentrations. The most widespread

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anthropogenic sources are the infiltration of industrial and urban wastes disposed on the ground or in

surface water bodies. Extensive use of agrochemicals can lead to groundwater pollution. Leaking

sewers/septic tanks/pit latrines, landfills also cause groundwater pollution.

River pollution around the capital has reached such a level that the groundwater system where the

aquifers are recharged from the riverbeds is being contaminated. Water level of the Buriganga has gone

down to 6.65 meters this year while the normal level was 7.23 meters in 1998 and 7.68 meters in 1988.

In the seven months from November to April, virtually no freshwater is received by the River to refresh

the aquifers.

Picture 7: Stinky, thick black liquid in the river

A recent study jointly done by the World Bank and the Institute of Water Modeling (IWM) says: "The

groundwater system is being contaminated in areas where aquifers are recharged from the riverbeds.

The pollution is creeping towards the central part of the city with time." The study mentions

groundwater in Hazaribagh, home of toxic tannery industries, as the most affected. "It is quite likely that

in the long run groundwater would be affected from the surface at solid waste or industrial effluent

dumping ground," the report adds.

The Institute of Water Modeling (IWM) survey shows there are over 300 various effluent discharge

outlets in Dhaka city and Narayanganj. Of these, 19 outlets carry major discharge of mixed effluents of

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industrial and household waste which is falling into the Buriganga River around the capital. Movements

by environmentalists as well as demands by the civil society could not change the situation. Now the

situation is so worse that no living organism survives in the stinky thick black liquid of the Buriganga.

The pollution has become so 'usual' that the Department of Environment now does not measure its level

anymore. The overall situation suggests that the city dwellers have no immediate respite from it.

Picture 8: The extremely polluted river water

But in just two decades indiscriminate discharge of human excreta, household garbage and industrial

waste, mainly liquid waste of dyeing and tannery industries, left the rivers dead. These polluted river

waters go to the underground and polluting the Dhaka city groundwater. The WASA treats the polluted

black water of the Buriganga and supplies stinky water to the city dwellers by 'purifying' it with chlorine

and ammonia sulfate. Now the pollution has set in on the rivers Buriganga and made it almost

impossible to treat their waters.

5) Impacts on locality and odor problem

According to an elderly respondent in Bosila, 20 years ago there were 400 families involved in fishing

from Buriganga River, in his locality. There is hardly 10 to 20 families are still involved in fishing now in

2010. When asked to comment on the reason behind this he responded that “The discharges of

industrial effluents caused the depletion of the fishes. The sewerage is also another reason for the

disappearance of the fish population from the Buriganga River.”

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Furthermore, due to land reclamation and rapid influx of people in to Dhaka City, some of the localities

in the riversides of Buriganga have doubled or tripled in size according to local estimates. Most of such

encroachments are slums and low income households. A handful includes muscled establishments by

local influential and political people. Another handful includes smaller industrial units set up with

illegally with monetary push. All these have had significant impacts on the localities around the

Buriganga river banks in terms of exponential increases in pollution density, air and domestic water

pollution and waste disposal.

The foul odor of the polluted black water strikes the nostril even at half a kilometer distance from any

point of the Buriganga River. This is mainly due to the windy conditions encountered as the river breeze

blows inward toward the city due to uneven warming of the land and water bodies. The effects of odors

on the local population are mainly psychological and can range from poor appetite for food, lowered

water consumption, impaired respiration, nausea, vomiting, and mental stress. Offensive odors have

also lowered the land and property values of residential and real estate properties around the river

according to a number of ongoing real estate developments in the surrounding area interviewed.

6) Toxicity related Health problems

Water-borne diseases are infectious diseases spread primarily through polluted water. Though these

diseases are spread to the locals directly or through flies or filth, but as water is the chief medium for

spread of these diseases and they are termed as water-borne diseases.

Most intestinal diseases, experienced by the locals around Buriganga, are infectious and are transmitted

through fecal wastes. These fecal wastes enter Buriganga with sewage and from the illegal settlements

that directly dump their fecal matter into the water. Pathogens – which include virus, bacteria, protozoa,

and parasitic worms – are disease-producing agents found in the feces of infected persons. These

diseases are more prevalent in the area around the river in areas with poor sanitary conditions, as

mentioned by a nurse in a local hospital.

Hepatitis, cholera, dysentery, and typhoid are the more common water-borne diseases among the

locals. Exposure to polluted water can cause diarrhea, skin irritation, respiratory problems, and other

diseases, depending on the pollutant that is in the water body. Stagnant pockets of Buriganga water and

provide a habitat for the mosquito and a host of other parasites and insects that cause a large number

of diseases especially in such tropical climatic conditions.. Among these, malaria is undoubtedly the

most widely distributed and causes most damage to the locals around the polluted River.

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There are a large number of known and unknown chemicals enter the Buriganga because of dumping. It

is not possible to identify the toxic and health effects of all of these chemicals. Here, some of the health

effects of grouped categories are presented.

Pesticides: The organophosphates and the carbonates present in pesticides affect and damage the

nervous system and can cause cancer. Some of the pesticides contain carcinogens that exceed

recommended levels. They contain chlorides that cause reproductive and endocrinal damage.

Lead: Lead is hazardous to health as it accumulates in the body and affects the central nervous system.

Children and pregnant women are most at risk.

Nitrates: Drinking water that gets contaminated with nitrates can prove fatal especially to infants that

drink the water as it restricts the amount of oxygen that reaches the brain causing the ‘blue baby’

syndrome. Many locals around Buriganga drink water from aquifers in contact with the polluted

Buriganga water. It is also linked to digestive tract cancers. It causes algae to bloom resulting in

eutrophication in surface water.

Petrochemicals: Benzene and other petrochemicals can cause cancer even at low exposure levels.

Chlorinated solvents: These are linked to reproduction disorders and to some cancers.

Other heavy metals: Heavy metals cause damage to the nervous system and the kidney, and other

metabolic disruptions.

7) Probable Mitigation

The pollution level in Buriganga has reached such proportions that mitigation and pollution prevention

alone cannot bring it back to life. A restoration plan must follow in order to revitalize the river. The

possible mitigation measures that must be undertaken include the following.

Stricter measures must be undertaken to ensure that no dumping of industrial waste occurs in

the river. The government must ensure at any cost that the industrial wastes are treated to the

regulatory standard before it reaches the river.

The dumping wastes from various hospitals adjacent to the River system like the popular Sir

Salimullah Medical College and Hospital, as well as smaller hospitals like the Meghna General

Hospital, must be completely banned with or without treatment. Hospitals wastes are such that

they might carry constituents the effects of which on water are not fully understood. Even

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treated water from hospitals should not be dumped before the River somewhat recovers from

the mitigation and restoration efforts.

Untreated sewage cannot be dumped in the river under any circumstances.

To prevent plastics, solid wastes and organic matter from being dumped into the river, both

from launches and the shore, a River Guard Patrol should be established at least from the time

being.

The awareness of the local public must be raised and if necessary enforced regarding the state

of the River and the prevention of all types of dumping.

The ever increasing encroachment, which has presently reached the border of the water, must

be demolished if anything is to be achieved at all. The river and its coastal area must be

permanently marked by say fencing.

Toilet and used water storage systems must be incorporated in the lunches and trawlers. There

may be permanent dumping sites established for the stored waste in Shadarghat terminal and

other destinations to ensure they are not dumped in the water.

To achieve all this, powerful central committee must be appointed by the government,

comprising of environmentalists, scientists, administrators and university faculties from

environmental sciences, should be established.

With these mitigations in place the restoration of the River must be started. Given time, the following

will help restore the river:

The entire river, starting from the launch ports must be dredged to increase it carrying capacity

and water flow.

The delineated shore area must be covered with a greenbelt and fixed pathways must be

established in all areas apart from the docking port.

The spawning range of previously present fish must be restored and fish species must be

introduced and given time to breed. Instead of allowing random fishing an urban fishing project

(that will include existing fishermen) can be sought after.

The entire historic level of ecosystem must be revitalized, over time through, scientific and

environmental research and intervention.

The entire river area must be beatified with a view to provide and upgrade recreational facilities.

8) Conclusion

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The Buriganga River thus represents a good case study for the emerging problems and threats that

rivers in Bangladesh are now facing. The problems of environmental degradation are widely observed

recognized and discussed, but the key issue is to do something for the ecological restoration of the

riverine environment. Although significant, the potential costs of a mitigation, restoration and

protection program can be justified by the resulting benefits that we and the future generations will

receive from these mighty rivers, especially Buriganga, which is inextricably linked with the history and

recreational evolution of Dhaka city.

9) References

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Khorshed Alam, et al Dora Marinova. Sustainability and River Restoration. 2006

Mohd. Yousuf Ali, Md. Nurul Amin and Khairul Alam. Ecological Health Risk of Buriganga River,

Dhaka, Bangladesh. 2008

Kumar De Anil, et al Arnab Kumar De. Environmental Chemistry. 2005

Roy, Pinaki “All Dhaka rivers left dead.” The Daily Star.27 April. 2009, Dhaka final ed

Ershad Kamol “Let the Dead River Flow.” Daily Star Magazine, Volume 8 Issue 64, April 3, 2009

D. Chandrasekharam, A. L. Ramanathan Prosun Bhattacharya A. B. Mukherjee J. Bundschuh.

Groundwater for Sustainable Development: Problems, Perspectives and Challenges

Alan R. Freeze John A. Cherry. Groundwater

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