Moribund Tangail rivers

According to a report published in this daily yesterday, most of the rivers in the country's Tangail district remain dry half the year. And although there is thin flow in some points of the rivers, the water is mostly unusable because it is polluted with toxic waste from nearby factories.

While illegal encroachment, pollution, indiscriminate extraction of silt, earth and sand are cited as the major reasons behind the deaths of these rivers, another key reason is the low flow in the Jamuna river because of withdrawal of water from the upstream. Many other rivers have silted up due to low flow in Jamuna and their water containing capacity has decreased. The result is, the river transportation system in the district has completely fallen apart and at present only some small engine boats can ply these rivers during the dry season.

The construction of several dams by India in the upstream of Teesta in order to change the direction of the flow to other places has reduced the flow in Teesta, Brahmaputra and Jamuna in Bangladesh. According to water experts, these rivers will survive if we get 50 percent share of Teesta water.

In order to save these rivers from dying, the government should take legal actions against the land grabbers and the factories that are dumping toxic wastes into the rivers. In addition, illegal extraction of sand must be stopped. Moreover, the ministry concerned should prioritise the river dredging projects. But the most important thing for the government to do is to convince India to sign the Teesta Water Sharing Deal, so that Bangladesh get its fair share of water.