River Commission powerless: Experts

The River Commission does not have any power to save rivers and other water bodies from pollution and encroachment, said speakers at a programme yesterday.
Formed last year, the commission can only make recommendations, nothing else, they said at a seminar on endangered state of rivers, wetlands and other water bodies, and the role of civil society in the Cirdap auditorium of the capital yesterday.
Despite having good laws and specific judicial orders to stop encroachment and pollution of rivers and wetlands, the failure of the executive branch of the government to stop pollution of the rivers around Dhaka city has affected around five million people, who have been using polluted water, the experts said.
Advocate Syeda Rizwana Hasan, chief executive of Bangladesh Environment Lawyers' Association, moderated the seminar jointly organised by Water Rights Forum and the Association for Land Rights and Development (ALRD).  
Prof M Shajahan Mandal and Advocate Sayeed Ahmed Kabir presented two papers on pollution of Dhaka city rivers and other water bodies, and related legislatures.
Rivers flowing around Dhaka city -- the Buriganga, Balu, Turag and Shitalakkhya -- are biologically dead as around 7,000 industrial units have been discharging around 150 crore litres of liquid waste into those, they said.  
There are over 7,154 individuals and organisations, who illegally encroached on rivers and canals in and around the capital.  
Rizwana Hasan said the environment related laws could not be implemented due to a lack of political will.
The government and people's representatives have a significant role to play here, she said, adding that the lack of accountability would put good governance at risk as well.
Columnist Syed Abul Maksud said the grabbers are the rich and powerful quarters of the society, who are influencing the officials of government agencies.
It seems the state has been protecting the grabbers due to their political identities, he added.
 M Inamul Haque, former director general of Water Resource Planning Organisation, suggested decentralisation of water management.  
Shamsul Huda, executive director of ALRD, asked for more transparency and accountability in water management.