Launch movement to save Buriganga from pollution

Speakers at a discussion yesterday urged the city dwellers to launch an all-out movement to save the Buriganga river from pollution.
They were speaking at a seminar held at the auditorium of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) office in Swarighat, jointly organised by Bangladesh Paribesh Andolan (Bapa) and Puran Dhaka Paribesh Unnayan Forum.
They said once the city was built on the bank of Buriganga but now the city dwellers have killed it, which will impact negatively on the city in the near future.
"We should save the river for the sake of ourselves," said Prof Abdullah Abu Sayeed presiding over the programme.
A number of commissioners of Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) including Humayun Kabir, Haji Mohammed Anawar Parvez Badal, Haji Md Humayun Kabir and Shahida Morshed were present at the event.
They demanded the government recover occupied land of the Buriganga, the factories on the Buriganga install effluent treatment plants (ETP), discharging of untreated liquid waste into the river be stopped and the recommendations of the government-formed taskforce are implemented to save the river.
They said only a few industries are killing the river, the lifeline of the city, by empting poisonous liquid waste into the river. The speakers also said hazardous liquid waste is spreading to the entire country through the network of rivers.
"We should not allow those industrialists play with the lives of millions," said Abdullah Abu Sayeed, vice-president of Bapa.
Commissioner of DCC Ward-59 Humayun Kabir said he will organise a meeting of DCC commissioners and discuss measures to save the Buriganga.
Abul Mal Abdul Muhit, founder president of Bapa, Nazmul Ahsan Kalimullah, president of Puran Dhaka Paribesh Unnayan Forum, Abdul Matin, general secretary of Bapa, Mahidul Haq Khan, treasurer of Bapa, Mihir Biswas, secretary general of Save Buriganga Taskforce also spoke on the occasion.
Prof Abdul Halim, principal of Dr Mohammed Shahidullah College, presented a keynote paper where he described the glorious past of the Buriganga and its present appalling condition.