The Pollution of the Buriganga: Its Environmental and

Economic Impact

Table of Content

s1.0 Introduction.....................................................................................................................................1

1.1 Origin of the Report......................................................................................................................1

1.2 Objectives of the Report..............................................................................................................1

1.2.1 Primary Objective................................................................................................................1

1.2.2 Secondary Objectives...........................................................................................................2

1.3 Scope of the Report.......................................................................................................................2

1.4 Limitations of the Report..............................................................................................................2

1.5 Methodology................................................................................................................................3

2.0 The Buriganga river system.............................................................................................................4

3.0 The Current Situation......................................................................................................................5

4. 0 Causes of the pollution of Buriganga...............................................................................................7

4.1 History of the pollution................................................................................................................7

4.2 Brief overview of the main sources.............................................................................................8

4.2.1 Industrial units.....................................................................................................................8

4.2.2 Domestic and solid wastes.................................................................................................10

4.2.3 Local vessels.......................................................................................................................12

4.2.4 Sedimentation....................................................................................................................12

4.2.5 Encroachment....................................................................................................................13

5.0 Impacts on Environment Due to Buriganga River Pollution...........................................................14

5.1 Impacts stretching boundaries..................................................................................................16

5.2 Water use in question................................................................................................................16

5.3 Impact on food chain.................................................................................................................18

5.4 Lust ends nowhere.....................................................................................................................19

6.0 Impacts on Economy Due to Buriganga River pollution ................................................................20

6.1 Scarcity of Clean Water.............................................................................................................20

6.2 Obliteration of Fisheries............................................................................................................21

6.3 Navigation problem...................................................................................................................22

6.4 Reduction in Tourism Attractiveness........................................................................................23

7.0 Steps Taken so far..........................................................................................................................24

7.1 Relocation of the Hazaribag tannery.........................................................................................24

7.2 Plan to Import water from Jamuna River...................................................................................26

7.3 Step taken by the previous caretaker government....................................................................27

7.4 Concern expressed by our lawyers............................................................................................27

7.5 Works by Awareness Groups.....................................................................................................27

8.0 Recommendations.........................................................................................................................29

Executive summary

Bangladesh is a country renowned for the countless rivers that create an intricate network across

it. These rivers are what make Bangladesh a very unique country of the South East region of the

globe. One of the oldest and most well-known rivers is the Buriganga River. The River

Buriganga is the life line of the Dhaka city and flanked in its southern side. However, very sadly

this historic and mystic river has now been severely polluted by the uncontrolled sewerage

effluent from the city.

This report looks into the major causes of pollution and concludes that nine industrial areas in

and around Dhaka are mainly responsible for the current situation of the Buriganga River. The

tanneries, dyeing mills, plastic and rubber product manufacturing plants and pesticide factories

dump huge volumes of industrial effluent into the river daily. In addition to that the careless

disposal of plastic bottles and containers, used batteries and polythene are also choking the river.

Domestic wastes flow into this river causing further pollution. Dhaka Wasa happens to have just

one sewage treatment plant and since this is not sufficient, most of the sewage ends up flowing

down the Buriganga. The dumping of millions of tons of human and industrial waste has turned

the water pitch black. It is not just the water that is being polluted; the noxious smells emanating

from the toxic pollutants in the river also create massive air pollution.

This report found out that nearly four million people directly suffer the consequence of the poor

water quality. These people are neither able to use this water for washing nor for irrigation. In

fact, even fishing is not possible since the aquatic life is steadily declining due to the extensive

water pollution. Shipping vessels plying the waters of the Buriganga also are very insensitive to

this issue and they often spill lots of oil and other chemicals into the river.

Encroachment of the river by the influential segment of the country is also a big threat to the

river. Illegal structures including houses, bazaars, ports and brickfields are sprouting up on the

river bank and hindering the river flow. The loss of course of the river results in a narrower river

vii

bed which makes the Buriganga more vulnerable to flooding. To prevent this, the river is often

dredged but this causes the branching rivers and canals to dry up; ultimately, the land grabbers

get more opportunity to construct illegal structures.

All these are leading to the economic detriment of Bangladesh. The fisheries export industry and

the tourism industry are badly suffering due to the pollution in the Buriganga. The report ends

with a glance into the activities of non profit groups such as ‘Save Buriganga’ which are trying

to free the river from the clutches of industrial pollution and vicious land grabbers. The main

thing that needs to be done is to relocate the tanneries further away from the river. Also, more

efficient effluent treatment plants are urgently needed.

viii

1.0 Introduction

This part entails how the report has been originated, what this report attempts to unearth,

the scope and limitation of the study, and lastly, how the data have been collected.

1.1 Origin of the Report

This report has been undertaken as a partial fulfillment of the course titled Economics of

Geography & Environment (G101) instructed to us by Professor Amanat Ullah Khan,

Guest faculty, IBA, University of Dhaka. The course instructor had assigned to us a

report on any environmental issue of social significance. We chose to do it on the very

river on whose left bank our capital city Dhaka is located – the once mighty Buriganga

River, which very sadly is on the brink of death today primarily because of human

activities.

1.2 Objectives of the Report

The objectives of the study are two-fold and are described as follows

1.2.1 Primary Objective

Our prime goal is to gain a comprehensive insight into the current situation of the dying

Buriganga river and find out ways to save it, while fulfilling the task given to us by

Professor Amanat Ullah Khan, as a part of our Economics of Geography & Environment

course. We aim to gain an in depth idea of the root causes of pollution in the Buringanga

River and also of its impact in our lives.

1

1.2.2 Secondary Objectives

In order to fulfill the primary objectives, the secondary objectives are:

to identify the major causes of pollution in the river

to learn about encroachment on the banks of the river

to find out how the pollution in the river is harming the locality of the Buriganga

to find out how the pollution eventually leads to problems in the economy of

Bangladesh

to gain an insight into the steps taken by the government and also by not-for-profit

organizations so far to save the Buriganga.

1.3 Scope of the Report

This report has been done on the pollution in the Buriganga. The report primarily focuses

on the activities of human beings that are leading to the death of the river. It does not

focus much on the natural forces acting on it. The report also covers all those steps that

can be taken to save the Buriganga from the clutches of the rapidly spreading pollution.

1.4 Limitations of the Report

As the citizens of Bangladesh are getting more and more environment conscious every

day, much is being written on issues such as the pollution in the Buringanga River. Hence

ample secondary information was available for the preparation of this report, from

websites and newspaper articles. Therefore no limitations were faced regarding data

collection. However, time constraint was faced. It would have been possible to cover

each topic in this report in greater detail than it has been, had more time been available.

2

1.5 Methodology

The information used in this report has been collected completely from secondary

sources. No primary sources were used since it was not deemed necessary to do so.

■ The internet was a main source of background information about the Buriganga

River. It not only provided us with a background of the river but also provided us

information regarding the current state of the river, the nature of the industries

causing pollution, the vicious land grabbers and so on. Finally, the various

websites also provided information regarding what should and should not be done

if the river is to be protected. The links used for the purpose of this report include:

■ Newspaper articles and write-ups of eminent environmentalists from different

magazines were also used. Articles from the Daily Star and other newspapers

provided relevant quantitative and qualitative information.

3

2.0 The Buriganga river system

The Buriganga River system is located in the southeastern part of the North Central

Region of Bangladesh, close to the confluence of the Padma (Ganges) and Upper Meghna

Rivers. The Buriganga is a tributary to the Dhaleswari River, which, after the Old

Brahmaputra River, is the largest river in the North Central Region. The Lakhya River

joins the Dhaleswari, 11 km downstream of the Buriganga confluence. The Dhaleswari

drains into the Meghna River, just upstream of the Padma confluence.

Figure: The rivers around Dhaka

The Buriganga is fed mainly by the Turag River, which receives flows from local rainfall

and spill flows from the left bank of the Jamuna River. The Lakhya River drains a large

catchment lying between the central forested areas and the Old Brahmaputra. Additional

inflows to the system originate from the Balu, which drains a small catchment to the west

4

of the Lakhya, and from the Ichamati and Karnatali Rivers, which carry mainly spills

from the Padma and Jamuna Rivers respectively.

The lower reaches of the Dhaleswari-Buriganga-Lakhya system are tidal during the dry

season when upstream inflows are minimal. Saline intrusion, however, does not take

place.

3.0 The Current Situation

Buriganga is in a dire state with pollution and encroachment eating away at its existence

day by day. The river carries only toxic waste water during the seven months of the dry

season (November-May). Even the wet season offers no refuge. Industrial dumping and

domestic wastes make the water so contaminated that no aquatic animal can survive in

the poisonous river water, let alone be used by locals for everyday purposes.

Figure: The polluted black water of the buriganga

Moreover locals and vessel operators randomly dump solid wastes into the Buriganga-

Turag system. Huge quantities of discarded polythene, household wastages and human

5

A recently published report has pointed out

that there are over 7,000 industrial units

including- dyeing mills, tanneries, rubber

and plastic product factories, pesticide

factories-in the Dhaka metropolitan area. Of

these, the dyeing factories and the tanneries

are the biggest polluters. Each day about

900 cubic metres of untreated domestic and

industrial effluents are discharged into the

Buriganga-Turag system. Industries at these

areas discharge untreated washing and

clinical wastes, used batteries, plastic bottles

and containers, and other discarded plastic

materials and burnt oil into the river water.

excrete causes hazard to the marine life and make the water lethal. They also dump the

useless solid wastes of crushed materials into the river.

Figure: In the present scenario the river banks are occupied mostly by illegal structures.

Encroachment is a serious issue in Dhaka. Buriganga banks are often reclaimed and built

upon. Politically backed influential land encroachers have created illegal structures on the

river bank. This loss of river bank means a narrower river bed which exacerbates

flooding.

Authorities had launched several drives to free the Buriganga river bank from the illegal

structures in the past. Arrests had been made, encroached structures destroyed but in the

end the loopholes of the system allow the land grabbers to come back again and resettle

in the illegal territory.

6

4. 0 Causes of the pollution of Buriganga

The river Buriganga has become polluted over the years causing serious environmental

degradation in the capital and its surroundings. The pollution problems are the outcome

of both natural as well as human activities and interventions and also due to lack of

adequate pollution control measures.

The natural reasons behind the problems include hydraulic and morphological changes in

the rivers around Dhaka. Due to gradual sedimentation in the Buriganga-Turag-Balu-

Lakhya river systems, the conveyance capacities of the channels have decreased, causing

no flow condition during the dry season and consequently the navigation drafts have been

reduced. Moreover, the feeder-rivers from the source of the Brahmaputra do not receive

flows due to drying up of the distributaries during the dry season. Heavy sedimentation at

the off take and river reaches is the major problem impeding sustainable development.

Human activities and interventions include encroachment on the river bed, floodplains

and low lying areas, sewage and solid waste disposal, insufficient water supply and

sanitation, industrial waste disposal and high rate of migration of the poor people in the

slum areas of Dhaka. The dumping of untreated liquid tannery wastes from tannery

industries at Hazaribagh, Dhaka is the major source of pollution of Buriganga. Besides

contaminated water dumped everyday from the 500 kilometre long sewerage line of

Dhaka city is another important reason for water pollution in the river. Other reasons

responsible for water pollution in the river Buriganga include dumping of oil from

vessels plying on the river, human wastes from unsanitary latrines set up on or near the

river. Illegal settlements on both sides of the river are also responsible for both water

pollution and obstacles to the course of the river.

4.1 History of the pollutionPollution of Buriganga River dates back to the Mughal period. At that time, the sewage

of the city used to be dumped into the river. Historians state that, people used to get bad

smell one and half kilometers away from Buriganga River even in the late 19th century.

The then British administration showed concern about the river, since the water level

used to decrease to an alarming level during the dry season. Renowned Scottish town

7

planner Patrick Geddes made a master plan for Dhaka City including the Buriganga River

in 1917. The then administration also made some plans to save Buriganga from the grasp

of ongoing pollution caused by domestic sewage. However, the pollution of the river was

at a tolerable level till the Pakistani period. But after Liberation, the pollution exceeded

all limits because of encroachment, unplanned urbanization and establishment of

polluting industries in the city. Water pollution has taken so devastating a turn that the

river has become intolerably contaminated and lifeless.

4.2 Brief overview of the main sourcesSeveral 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. All of these source of pollution stem

from the over population of the metropolitan. The city passed its carrying capacity a long

time.

4.2.1 Industrial units

The main causes of the pollution can undoubtedly be linked to the indiscriminate

dumping of refuse by the numerous industrial units on the banks of the Buriganga. More

than 7,000 units of industries for textiles, metals, chemicals, rubber, pharmaceuticals,

cement, leather, pulp, paperboards, fertilizer, food processing, and petroleum refining in

the city area are discharging 1.3 million cubic metres of untreated industrial effluents in

the rivers, an outstanding violation of the Environment Conservation Rule 1997.

The Institute of Water Modeling (IWM), a government established trust has identified

four industrial clusters and many other small zones as the major pollutants of Buriganga-

Turag rivers. Of these clusters the hydrologists identify tanneries as the biggest polluters.

About 500 tanneries including 200 large units in Hazaribagh are discharging 4.75 million

litres of a variety of extremely toxic wastes into the river. On top of this 95 metric tones of

solid and hazardous wastes including trimmings of finished leather, shaving dusts, hair,

fleshing, trimming of raw hides and skins are also dumped in the area's open drains every

year.

8

The Hazaribagh tannery complex and other industries, primarily the glue and paint industries in

the same general location, have affected water and air quality in the large poorly drained area

locked behind a nine meters high flood control embankment constructed in 1989-1990 in south-

west Dhaka City. Up until the time of embankment construction, the contaminants were washed

to the Buriganga river by annual flooding. At present, the existing sewage outfalls, the

sewage lift operations consisting of 16 pumps and local residential drains are not

adequate to properly and efficiently remove all the waste products generated by the

factories and population of the area. This is partly a maintenance problem but an

environmental problem has been created by the discharging of wastewater with

excessively high solids content and a dangerous level of chromium among other heavy

metals and toxic materials.

However, these drains are flushed during the rainy season, the sludge being carried along

as suspended sediment. During the dry season the area is submerged by tannery

wastewater and the contaminated wastewater pond areas are now approximately 8-10

times larger than that of the pre-embankment period. It is quite possible that toxic sludge

is accumulating on the bottom of the large ponds where it is unlikely to be pumped out.

The glue and paint industries also create pollutants which affect this area. No effort has

been made to distinguish the impact of these two industries. There is a lesser problem

related to the disposal of household wastes as only 32 per cent of local residences are

connected to the sewer system.

9

Beginning in late 2000 an unknown quantity of

the tannery effluent which previously had

remained in stagnant waters and drains in the

lowlands behind the Dhaka Flood Protection

Embankment was being released through large

underground pipes into the Buriganga River at

Katasur near the Rayerbazar memorial. Tannery

solid wastes have accumulated in the sludge

deposits of drains since the construction of the

embankment.Figure: Chemical effluents entering river water

United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) notes that the chrome -

containing sludge and solid waste, especially fleshing wastes, that is generated by the

tanneries at Hazaribagh is collected by Dhaka City Corporation and is dumped in the

landfills. This is shifting the pollution problem to the outskirts of the city. Moreover, the

chrome containing solid wastes of wet-blue trimmings and shavings is often incinerated

in the tannery boiler oven, resulting in the release of hexavalent chrome containing

particles in the air. Moreover, the geologists have found hazardous heavy metals in the

underground area of tanneries, since sludge, containing heavy metals, are not of disposed

properly. Health experts claim such polluting agents have every possibility of creating

cancerous diseases.

Besides, there are many small units on both sides of Buriganga between Bangladesh-

China Friendship Bridge 1 and 2, mainly located at Babubazar, Jinjira, Kaliganj,

Postagola and Shyampur. There are small shipyards, dyeing units and small industries at

these areas that discharge untreated washing and clinical wastes, used batteries, plastic

bottles and containers, and other discarded plastic materials and burnt oil into the river

water. They also dump the useless solid wastes of crushed materials into the river.

Most of the industries do not have any treatment facility for wastewaters. Treatment

plants possessed by a few industries, however, do not operate regularly. While most of

the industries discharge wastewater into drains or canals, which ultimately fall into

nearby water courses. Some of the industries dump the wastewater directly on the

ground. Some of them, situated by the side of rivers, discharge their wastewaters into the

rivers through underground/concealed pipes, which are not visible from the land or water

surface.

4.2.2 Domestic and solid wastes

As mentioned before, Discarding domestic wastes and solid wastes into the Buriganga

has been a common practice amongst the city dwellers since the Mughal period. Even

after couple of centuries, government agencies such as Rajdhani Unnyan Kartripakkha

(RAJUK), Dhaka City Corporation (DCC), Water Supply and Sewerage Authority

(WASA), Department of Environment (DoE) Bangladesh Inland Water Transport

10

Authority (BIWTA) and Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) have failed to

stop disposal of solid wastes and domestic wastes into the river bodies.

Several studies show that, 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 metres per

day, which is only 10 percent of the total disposal of sewage. But plagued by system loss

and mismanagement, the treatment plant is operating at one third of its capacity.

Industrial waste should not be allowed to enter the domestic sewage network as it

interferes with treatment plants. 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. Each day a huge volume of domestic

waste of the entire area from Gazipur to Munshiganj, is discharged into Turag-Buriganga

rivers. Every day tons of wastes are dumped into the river along the riverbanks between

Kamrangir Char Bridge and the second Buriganga Bridge.

There are also 300 brick kilns around draining their wastes into the river. Industrial waste

accounts for 60 per cent of the river's pollution, followed by municipal waste. Even

hospital waste is dumped into this river. River transportation contributes in a small way.

Only the annual monsoon replenishes the river but very slightly. Experts say pollution-

free water contains around seven milligram dissolved oxygen and the level must not fall

11

Figure: Industrial waste, followed by municipal and domestic wastes account for 60% of river pollution

lower than 4.0 milligram. In some parts of the river the level of dissolved oxygen was

found to be near zero, what is technically known as biological oxygen demand is ten

times higher than normal in the Buriganga waters.

4.2.3 Local vesselsLocal vessel operators indiscriminately dump solid wastes into the Buriganga, completely

disregarding the DCC laws. BIWTA sources confirm that they get huge quantities of

discarded polythene deposited beneath the water during dredging. The materials from

breaking of buildings of the riverbanks also add hazardous substances into the river.

There are many other offenders abusing the river. Innumerable mechanized trawlers and

vessels ply in the rivers of Dhaka. Ignorance about the adverse environmental effects of

dumping waste materials from the vessels such as solid wastes and burnt oil and

BIWTA's lack of stringent laws against such dumping as well as lack enforcement have

all contributed to the pollution.

Figure: Local vessels that ply on the Buriganga are one of the main polluters

4.2.4 Sedimentation

In the dry season, due to the sedimentation upstream, the flow of Buriganga-Turag

system gets cut off. The hydrologists and engineers of Bangladesh Water Development

Board (BWDB) inform that the flow of water at that time is next to zero. During this

12

period of time the system mainly carries sewage and industrial effluents. Therefore

sedimentation indirectly contributes to the increase in river water pollution.

Sedimentation could be caused by means both natural and man-made. Sedimentation can

be caused by man-made non-biodegradable materials like polythene. A recent survey

found that a polythene stratum measuring about 10 feet in thickness was embedded under

a certain stretch of the Buriganga. The river remains terribly polluted from domestic and

industrial wastes and the polythene makes it worse, especially given the shallowness of

the river.

River dredging can be a viable solution to this problem. But this requires high investment

and most importantly the Government’s interest, to come onto effect.

4.2.5 Encroachment

Encroachment has always been a big threat to rivers consuming the banks and narrowing

them further and further. 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.

Construction of unauthorized structures on the banks of the Buriganga is going on

unabated. Drives conducted at different times failed to keep the banks free from

encroachment due to the absence of sustainable measures. The encroachers keep

returning and have reconstructed about 200 structures which were demolished earlier,

grabbing about 50 acres of land.

In a recent survey, the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) identified

326 illegal structures, 50 per cent of which were demolished earlier during several drives

conducted by the BIWTA and district administration.

The government taskforce that was formed to save the Buriganga recommended

immediate cancellation of all leases of land on its banks and a stop to future leases.

13

There is a need for creating a powerful body to free the rivers from the clutches of

the encroachers and polluters, instead of having so many non- functional ornamental

bodies. There should be sufficient scope for devising ways and means so that the land or

water bodies, once recovered from the land grabbers, cannot be recaptured. The land

grabbers, through their illegal settlements have blocked up the natural passage of the river

water. Other than the encroachment, the land grabber also pollute the river

indiscriminately, disposing waste materials, both sewerage and effluents, into the water.

5.0 Impacts on Environment Due to Buriganga River Pollution

The capital of Bangladesh, Dhaka, is situated on the bank of the river Buriganga. The

water of Buriganga is polluted by industrial waste and capital sewage which cause her to

become biologically dead.

Tannery waste is mainly contaminating the river. Around 20,000 cubic meters of

untreated highly toxic liquid waste flow in to the Buriganga through canals according to a

recent report of the Department of Environment (DoP). These tanneries are mainly

situated in Hazaribag few kilometres away from capital. Due to over pollution of surface

14

Figure: One of the many sites of encroachment on the Buriganga

water, ground water of Hazaribag is getting polluted. The contamination of Buriganga is

threatenning the existence of three other rivers Turag, Balu & Shitalakhya.

Several environmental processes are involved with the Buriganga. Its pollution is

harming the surrounding agricultural and aquatic environment. The deteriorating

condition of the river is also having an impact on the people living in its banks and

depending on it for a living.

The pressures on the river and their state and impacts are tabulated in the table below:

Pressures State ImpactsPollution :

Industrial effluent Domestic sewage Faecal pollution Oil spill Encroachment Sand extraction

Decreasing inland water quality in dry season

Declining fish population

Decreasing vegetation

Increasing river unpredictability

Pressure on water source

Fish mortality and decline on quality of fish

Degradation of fish habitat

Yield reduction Increase in risk

from water borne diseases

Marine aquatic life affected

River bank erosion, changes of river courses, navigable channels.

15

5.1 Impacts stretching boundaries

Industrial discharge and sewage disposal into Buriganga river are the two most polluting

sources of water pollution. The pollution is mostly due to wastewater discharge from the

tannery industries in the Hazaribagh area and Tejgaon chemical and paper mills into the

river. Pollutants from these industries are categorized into three parts:

i. bio-degradable organic waste

ii. non bio-degradable inorganic waste

iii. toxic waste

Disposal of such untreated industrial waste is gradually destroying aquatic environments

of the river and this in turn is affecting people’s health. Millions of cubic metres of toxic

waste from the Hazaribagh tanneries and thousands of

other industries, topped with a huge volume of

untreated sewage from the city, now remain almost

stagnant within the river water. The situation is set to

continue until a new flow of water rushes in from the

upstream.

5.2 Water use in question

Extremely hazardous air pollution is generated by the

highly toxic water as it releases a 'gas' that starts irritating the nostrils and throat as soon

as humans breathe it. Its foul odours can be smelled from as far away as half a kilometre.

In summer the situation is worse. The river becomes pitch black and releases noxious

smell.

The fetid smell of the river water has made it unsuitable for drinking and other purposes.

As a result there is a shortage of water source. People living along the river are the worst

victims of the pollution.

16

The river water is no longer healthy to drink. Analysis of surface water shows that the

level of dissolved oxygen in the river water is too low or sometimes non-existent as the

toxic effluents are discharged into the river. The toxic quotient of the river exceeds

tolerable limits in the months of January and February. The seasonal variation of water

quality in the Buriganga is linked with seasonal variation of water flow and the operation

of the tanneries. The seasonality of flow in the watercourses from the river constitutes a

significant constraint to its ability to dilute and disperse effluent discharged into it. So as

already mentioned, the pollutants sometimes stay for a long time in the same place in the

river in concentrated form unless water from upstream does not flush them away thus

harming the overall water quality.

The river water hardly satisfies the quality

parameter set by the Environmental Quality

Standards (EQS) thus showing the unsuitability of

the water to be used for irrigation, bathing, and

washing of household items. The tube wells for

drinking water is also inappropriate to use due to

groundwater pollution. Concentration of dissolved

heavy metals such as chromium and iron in the

groundwater is forcing the inhabitants to rely on

expensive alternative water supply.

Thousands of water transport workers, working on the passenger and cargo vessels in

Sadarghat, are forced to bring water from the river Meghna and Dhaleswari for washing.

Unable to take a bath or wash clothes for days, many of them have even begun to suffer

from various diseases. The washermen too have their share of problems because of river

pollution. Those living near the Buriganga struggle to wash clothes in the river during the

dry season as the water become too filthy. Even so, some washermen have no choice but

to wash the clothes in such dirty water.

17

Figure: Even though the water is too filthy some have no choice but

The scenario is even bleaker in the villages along the river, in the upstream of the

Buriganga. Hundreds of thousands of families living in Zinzira, Kholamora,

Kamrangirchar, Jhaochar, Modhyerchar, Wasspur, Basila and Looterchar face a severe

water crisis for at least six months a year. Dependent on the river for generations, this

population has been cut off from using the river water. They are now forced to travel

miles to get water for their daily chores. However, the slum inhabitants in the tanneries

have to use the water from Buriganga for bathing, washing and sometimes drinking.

Nobody knows how much harm and potential carcinogen diseases will occur to them.

They are already the victims of several water bred diseases like dysentery, diarrhoea,

cholera and shigella food poisoning.

Owing to the direct disposal of city and industrial sewage into Buriganga, faecal pollution

has become prominent. Diseases like cholera and diarrhoea are transmitted by faecal

contamination of water. People living in slums around the city use these contaminated

water for all recreational

purpose and this results in

spreading of water-borne and

skin diseases.

The pollutants are stagnant in

the river since the water flow is

low in the river except during

monsoons. This stagnancy

accelerates the population of

mosquitoes and thus expedites

the spread of vector borne diseases like malaria, dengue hemorrhagic fever and filariasis.

5.3 Impact on food chain

Pollution in the river has destroyed the river water's ecosystem and also rendered

hundreds of acres of totally barren agricultural land. To exacerbate the pollution, the

ferries spill oil into the river. Fishes exposed to oil spill and toxins in the water causes the

18

Figure: Direct disposal of sewage pollutes the river

fish and other marine animals such as river dolphins to get infected. Because oil floats on

top of water, less light penetrates into the water, limiting the photosynthesis of marine

plants and phytoplankton. This endangers the flora and fauna of Buriganga and also

affects the food chain in the ecosystem.

Oil spills and toxins from pollutants have reduced the fish population in the river. There

has been degradation of the fish habitat and thus a decline in the quality of fish. Fishes

are found rotting in the river adding to the unbearable stench. This reduced yield of fish

has affected many fishermen, who live in the banks of Buriganga, economically. Also

consumption of the contaminated fish is causing

dangerous diseases such as food poisoning and other

gastro intestinal diseases, especially among the

poorer section.

Agricultural lands in the villages around the river

have become barren. The river water used for

irrigation is responsible for this. The water has

dissolved heavy metal and other toxins that kills

plantation. As a result when the poisonous water has

been used for irrigation it has destroyed vegetation

and has made the land unproductive for further

agricultural activity. This has harmed the inhabitants

socially as well as economically.

5.4 Lust ends nowhere

Another human intervention in the Buriganga river

system is the encroachment of the river by the

influential. Encroachment, of course, has always

been a big threat to the river. It is eating away the banks of Buriganga and is narrowing it

further. Politically backed influential land encroachers have created illegal structures

including houses, bazaars, ports, brickfields etc. on the river that has created obstacles on

the flow the river.

19

The river bed’s loss of course means a narrower bed which exacerbates flooding. In an

effort to reduce flooding, the river is often dredged. Ironically this results in the

branching rivers and canals drying up which are subjected to further land grabbing.

One more recent problem is the officials allowing sand traders to extract much more sand

than the permitted quantity from riverbeds in the capital, an act that is threatening the

channels and courses of the city’s rivers and the densely populated localities along their

banks the sand traders are extracting with powerful dredgers in massive amounts.

Unscientific sand extraction from the riverbeds not only makes the rivers extremely

unpredictable but also destroys their courses, navigable channels and environment. The

unscrupulous removal of sand from the river bed is causing serious threat of river bank

erosion affecting the security of the inhabitants.

6.0 Impacts on Economy Due to Buriganga River pollution

The effects of this unabated pollution on the environment can have dire economic

consequences. These are discussed below.

6.1 Scarcity of Clean Water

The universal appeal of water for people makes rivers valuable economic development

assets of a country. With a huge population of nearly 14 million, Dhaka city’s water

consumption demand is over 2,200 million liters at approximately 1.57 liters per person

per day. Dhaka Wasa is unable to meet this demand with scarcity of resources and system

loss. Wasa generally meets about 15% of its water needs from surface water sources and

the rest is obtained from deep tube-wells exploiting underground water aquifers. Due to

pollution of surface water, increasing population and industrial growth, Wasa has been

forced to sink such tube wells in places like Mirpur, Shyamoli, Khilgaon and Bashabo.

This, in turn, is lowering the city water table at a faster rate than the rate of recharge. So

in the not too distant future underground water sources could be exhausted. The main

future potential source thus has to be surface water from rivers such as Buriganga.

20

But due to both industrial and domestic waste dumping, water in Buriganga is so polluted

that, even after treatment with required chemicals, it is not completely free of ammonia.

According to WASA sources, water treatment plants along the river Buriganga are unable

to treat the thoroughly polluted water of the river and as such, some residents cannot use

its water for drinking purpose. The Sayedabad water treatment plant, which in normal

circumstances produces 228 million litres of water, has now been reduced to a state

where there is a shortfall in the supply of water by as much as 60 million litres.

So scarcity of water is highly plausible with current scenario of massive pollution in

Buriganga and other surrounding rivers. More surface water treatment plants have to be

built to keep up with the demand for water. So pollution is hurting the economy by

constraining sources for water which eventually results in greater costs.

6.2 Obliteration of Fisheries

Liquid waste is contaminating the waters of the Buriganga River on the surface as well as

the ground water resource base. During the lean season, the Buriganga River turns deadly

for fish and other sub aquatic organisms. The Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) also

reflects the pollution rate of water. It depicts the capability of water to destroy germs and

the lower the BOD the less polluted the water is. According to a study by BUET Civil

Department in January, 2007, BOD in the water of Buriganga at Hazaribarg area is 28,

which indicates extremely polluted water. When solid waste and effluents run into the

river, the Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) in the water rises, creating oxygen is

calamitous for the sub aqueous life.

21

In fact the water of the Buriganga

has become so polluted that its

aquatic life has almost been ruined.

Effluents of tannery factories lower

the dissolved oxygen (DO) content

of the river water below the critical

level of four milligrams per liter. In

some parts of the river the level of

dissolved oxygen was found to be

near zero (unsuitable for aquatic

life). It is feared that these natural

resources are in decline (in both

diversity and number) thus

jeopardizing the prospects for

sustainable development.

Most of the local fishermen have already abandoned their livelihood due to fish

deficiency in the river. Trade of fish revolving around Buriganga is virtually destroyed

resulting in deteriorated local economy.

6.3 Navigation problem

The Buriganga and her mother river Dhaleswari connect Dhaka to the other rivers and

through them with almost all the districts of Bangladesh. Sadarghat, a large quay on the

river Buriganga, is the gateway to the capital city from the southern districts of the

country. It is the country’s main waterway for trading and ferry travel.

22

Figure: Aquatic life in Buriganga has become almost non-existant due to pollution

Figure: Navigability is reduced to a great extent because of pollution in Buriganga

But due to the current situation of severe waste dumping in the river large steamers can

no longer through the river channels during dry seasons. Due to gradual sedimentation in

the Buriganga river system, the conveyance capacities of the channels have decreased

and consequently the navigation drafts have been reduced.

6.4 Reduction in Tourism Attractiveness

Situated roughly in the center of the country, Buriganga’s rich historical background,

natural beauty and great economic importance qualifies it as an attractive tourism

destination. But severe pollution in Buriganga has mutilated the river and destroyed the

great potential as a tourist spot.

23

Figure: Pollution has marred the beauty of the once mighty Buriganga

7.0 Steps Taken so far

Now we come to the discussion of what the relevant authorities are doing to deal with the theats facing the Buringanga.

7.1 Relocation of the Hazaribag tannery

The Hazaribagh Tannery Relocation Project (HTRP) was undertaken by the Industries

Ministry in 2003 to save the capital city and the Buriganga River from toxic pollution.

The government is bearing the entire cost of the project from its own pocket while

Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) is implementing this

project at Kantiboilapur, Chandranarayanpur and Charnarayanpur in Savar. Sources said

the project was made following the guideline prepared and submitted by experts of the

United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in 1996. Under the

project, all tannery industries will be relocated to Savar from the city's Hazaribagh area

and waste treatment plants will be set up to save the environment from further pollution.

To implement the project, the BSCIC acquired 200 acres of land in Savar and started

development of the land in 2007. Of the total amount, Tk 1.0 billion was earmarked for

development of land and other facilities for the tannery industries, while Tk 700 million

for setting up the waste treatment plants and other works. Hazaribagh is home to almost

200 tanneries, which produce several thousand tonnes of toxic wastes and industrial

effluents daily, causing environmental pollution and exposing the city population to great

public health risks. A total of 195 industrial plots will be developed on 145 acres of land

and the remaining 55 acres will be used for construction of roads, BSCIC offices,

hospital, and mosque. BSCIC will develop four types of industrial plots -- A, B, C and S.

A three-member UNIDO team visited Bangladesh in November 1996, to see the overall

situation of industrial waste treatment and management. They visited Hazaribagh tannery

industries, the Buriganga River and exchanged views with the people concerned,

including government officials about the possible solution to the problem. In its report,

the UNIDO suggested the government to take up a plan for pollution control and

treatment of tannery effluents at Hazaribagh. Other UNIDO suggestions included

24

installation of Chromium Recovery and Reuse Unit (CRRU) at each tannery and setting

up of a Central Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP)

Although the government is persuading the tannery owners to start shifting their factories

from Hazaribagh to Savar, most of them are reluctant to relocate their plants as a central

effluent treatment plant (CETP) has not yet been built at Savar. A High Court order is

also pending on the proposed CEPT. Besides, most of the commercial banks are refusing

to transfer the existing mortgages in Hazaribagh to the new sites at Savar.

However according to owners, it is not possible to start shifting before such problems

regarding CETP and its establishment is resolved. Moreover, they say moving to Savar

leather estate without a CETP is the same as staying at Hazaribagh. The issue of

compensation for relocation costs should also be considered before the shifting,

especially in the light of losses to the industry due to global economic recession, they

added.

Approximately more than 200 plots have been allocated so far to 154 tannery owners to

date. All the tanneries in Hazaribagh received orders from the High Court to leave the

area by February 28, 2010. The court also ordered all industries to set up effluent

treatment plants by June the same year. As per the ruling of the bench, factories polluting

the environment would either have to install ETPs or suitable devices within June 2010 or

would be closed in July that year. The bench also asked the Home Secretary, Inspector

General of Police and Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner to provide the authorities

concerned with sufficient logistics and police forces to close the eco-unfriendly

industries. The court said it would continue proceedings of the case until its directives to

prevent environmental pollution are implemented.

Indeed, the government's inaction in installing a waste treatment plant has been delaying

the relocation of the leather industries. It was scheduled to hand over the industrial estate

to the tanners by 2010 as per agreement. Reports say escalation of project cost by almost

five times is the main cause of delay in the project work. The complex procedure for

inviting fresh tender for CETP is taking too long. The government had prepared the first

25

project proposal in 2003. According to the proposal, the estimated cost of the three-year

project was Tk 1.75 billion that increased to Tk 5.45 billion in the revised proposal in

2007. In 2003, Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC),

Bangladesh Finished Leather, Leather Goods and Footwear Exporters' Association

(BFLLFEA) and Bangladesh Tanners Association (BTA) signed a tripartite agreement to

implement the project. The government took the decision to relocate Hazaribagh

tanneries to Savar to save the capital and Buriganga river from toxic pollution caused by

industrial wastes.

The bleak outlook of the project is underscored by its cost escalation; what started out as

an estimated cost of Tk 1.75 billion is set to escalate now by Tk 1.87 billion.

As the present site for relocation stands on the eastern bank of the river'' Dhaleshwari”,

near Tetulia of Savar, about 20 km. upstream of Dhaka. The planned CETP will

discharge about 21000 cubic meter of waste water in to the river. As the Dhaleshwari

river lies upstream of the Buriganga, the wastewater will virtually enter the Buriganga

and again its water will be polluted. It is said that millions of Dollars are earned by

exporting leather and leather goods. On the other hand, we might be losing 1000 times

more worth fishes killed in Buriganga and other rivers. This is a grave problem which

needs to be attended to immediately.

7.2 Plan to Import water from Jamuna River

There is a plan to import water from the river Jamuna to increase the flow of water in the

surrounding rivers in Dhaka City. The projected cost is Tk. 850 crore. In 2005, plan of

plantation by the riverside was taken by government. In 2004, Dhaka WASA undertook

the project of repairing 150km seepage line. In 2005, a project of modernizing &

increasing the capacity of the Pagla Recycling Plant with sanction of 250km new seepage

line was undertaken. Under the project of North Dhaka Expansion, project of sanction of

three new recycler plants with adequate sewerage line was undertaken. Dhaka City

Corporation will implement the project of sanctioning 4 new “Garbage Dumping Yards”

and the cost will be Tk. 510 crore. As the tannery will be transferred at the northwest

26

part of Keraniganj, an integrated buffer of a khal and forest will be produced to protect

the entire settlement and agricultural field.

7.3 Step taken by the previous caretaker government

The previous caretaker government took a step to arrest the ongoing process of not only

killing the river, but also of destroying what still remains of this once lively river. The

government formed a twenty-two member committee comprising representatives from

Local Government Division, the Dhaka City Corporation, Rajdhani Unnayan

Kartripakkha (Rajuk), Energy And Mineral Resources Division, Petrobangla,

Environment ministry, Institute of Water Modelling, Bangladesh Inland Water Transport

Authority, Federation of the Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Dhaka

Export Processing Zone (DEPZ), the District Administration and the Joint Forces. The

committee so formed worked to control the way the various industrial units and other

sources are emptying their waste matters into the Buriganga as well as protect it from the

land grabbers. Short- and long-term measures were taken to achieve the goals set by the

committee. The two technical committees formed for this purpose detected all the sources

that pollute the river and also review the past work done on this issue as well as look into

the existing laws that could have been useful to go ahead with the task of the committee.

7.4 Concern expressed by our lawyers

Our legal community has taken the initiative to persuade the High Court to issue a suo

moto rule asking the government to inform the Court within a month about what steps

have been taken to prevent environment pollution, as pointed out in the writ petition filed

on July 15, 2001. One hopes that the judicial process will establish accountability and

lead to some improvement.

7.5 Works by Awareness Groups

Save Buriganga is an activist group whose mission is to create awareness among the

citizens of Dhaka city, Bangladesh about the dangers facing the Buriganga River. The

group helps to create awareness by posting videos on Facebook.com and by sending e-

mails to concerned individuals.

27

“Save rivers, save Dhaka”, a joint initiative taken by Channel I and “The Daily Star”

seems to be promising. It also generates hope seeing that awareness groups have

taken strong initiatives like “Rally for Rivers” to change our miserable plight.

About 500 representatives from 65 organizations and institutions on August, 5th

2000 brought out a colorful boat procession on the Buriganga carrying banners and

shouting slogans for saving the river from pollution and encroachments. The procession

was organized by the Save Buriganga Movement, launched recently following reports of

indiscriminate encroachments and pollution of the river. POROSH, an organization

working for protection of the environment led the Movement.

Their demand included immediate removal of the massive encroachment and removal of

the other encroachments nearby. Leaders of the movement including AMA Muhith of

POROSH, Prof. Mozaffar Ahmed and Dr.Wahiduddin Mahmud of Dhaka University

who vowed to continue the fight till the river is freed from encroachments and pollution.

Khushi Kabir of ADAB was also present. The organizations and Institutions which

participated In the procession include ADAB, ARMCO & ANANDA, BASA, BAWPA,

Dhaka University, Jagannath University College, NEAB, PRATYASHA, Nagorik Samaj,

Rotary Club Dhaka, Mid town, SEED, WVA, DORP, Design Vision, FEMA and TMSS.

Nirveek, an organization which works on environment, held a boat rally and formed a

human chain on the bank of Shitalakhha at Hajiganj Ghat in Narayanganj in 9 th May 2009

to press home its demand to save Buriganga and Shitalakhya river.Cross section of

people joined the human chain held at the west side of Shitalakhha River.

28

Figure: A boat procession was organized on August, 5th 2000 by the Save Buriganga Movement recently to protect the lifeline of the city from pollution and encroachment. 

8.0 Recommendations

It is strongly recommended that heavy penalties be imposed not only on the guilty factory

owners but also on the inspectors who have been recalcitrant in performing their duties.

Here is an opportunity for the government and the Anti-Corruption Commission to

demonstrate that they are agents of “change” and that they believe in good governance.

The next step should be to re-locate the tanneries away from Dhaka. This might require

two to three years but needs to be undertaken on a priority basis through public-private

partnership and in a comprehensive manner. Most of the European Union (EU) counties

are set to pass new policies that will bar import of products from industries that pollute

environment with harmful chemical agents and do not have individual or central effluent

plant. As such, the shifting should be completed as early as possible keeping in mind the

impending EU legislation, or else it would hurt the export-oriented industry.

The government contended that the construction work of the basic infrastructure and

sewerage has already been completed. It is going to float a fresh tender soon for setting

up the CETP. In any way, the relocation process has to be accelerated. All procedures to

invite the fresh tender should be expedited. In order to save the industry from impending

losses, the tannery owners should start the preliminary stages of shifting without further

delay.

The relevant officials in the Dhaka City Corporation responsible for solid waste

management, sewerage, sanitation and hygiene are taken to task for their inefficiency.

There is prevalence of corruption in this sector also. There have been many reports in the

print media about lack of observance of rules and regulations by clinics in disposing of

their used articles. This is leading not only to contamination but also to the spread of

diseases. Such conditions are unwanted and should not be tolerated.

The concerned departments of health, LGRD and the environment, in association with the

Dhaka City Corporation, should undertake an integrated effort to identify the problem

spots and then remove them. One measure could be to create an environmental police

29

force to monitor and assure effective implementation of regulations. The cost of creating

and maintaining such an outfit could be met from the municipal tax paid to the Dhaka

City Corporation and the sewerage tax paid to Wasa

The effective but cheap purification approach based on chlorine gas, known as ETP

(Effluent Treatment Plant) operation, provides an opportunity for both the industry and

DoE to perform in a win-win situation.

Heavy penalties should be imposed on the guilty factory owners and the recalcitrant

officials in the Dhaka City Corporation (DCC), responsible for solid waste management,

sewerage, sanitation and hygiene for their inefficiency and corruption.

Illegal occupiers on both sides of the river should be evicted for good; the recovered and

filled areas dug or dredged up and integrated in the river channel. All this should be done

successively, even simultaneously where necessary, to avoid any let up in the process of

restoring full life and shape to the river. After restoring free flow, no structure of any kind

other than terminal points for boats and launches should be allowed on either side of the

river all along the stretch of the city and beyond. Both the banks should be secured and

beatified with a tree-lined moderately wide road all along, if necessary further removing

some structures falling in its path.

30