Choking our lifeline

A picture of Sylhet's Surma River published in this daily on Tuesday is proof that despite all the hue and cry over encroachment of our rivers by activists and the media, nothing has changed. Illegal grabbing and encroachment by commercial entities that are growing in Kalighat area by the bank of the river has led to the main channel of the river being choked. The photo also shows a filthy sight of garbage strewn around the river's bank.

Rivers were once the country's lifeline but greed and political muscle power have effectively destroyed our river system over the decades. The four main rivers of the capital—Turag, Buriganga, Balu, and Sitalakkhya—for example are now beyond saving, thanks to untreated industrial effusion being dumped in them and rampant illegal encroachment. And over the years, very little has been done to save them despite the High Court's landmark ruling in 2009 which directed the government to demarcate Dhaka's river system in order to protect the boundaries of the capital's major rivers. But the directive has, unsurprisingly, repeatedly been ignored. This is a prime example of our total lack of regard towards protecting the finite number of rivers that have not yet been completely destroyed.

It is regrettable that other than occasional drives against the grabbers, the government has not taken any serious measures to free the rivers from illegal encroachment. It is well known that in many cases, authorities who are supposed to enforce the law are involved in these activities. Along with them, those who are actively grabbing public land are hardly ever held accountable and this is precisely where the problem lies. If this trend continues, it will not be long until all our rivers reach a catastrophic state which will, of course, have serious ramifications for the economy and people's livelihood.