The High Court today directed the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) to form a monitoring committee to take effective measures to stop industrial waste from being discharged into the Shitalakkhya River.

The court also asked BIWTA to submit a compliance report within two weeks.

In response to a writ petition, the court also ordered the Department of Environment and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to jointly form a committee to assess the extent of pollution in the river and determine the financial value of the damage. The committee must submit its findings to the court within three months.

The court further issued a rule asking the government to explain why action should not be taken against the industrial establishments responsible for polluting the Shitalakkhya in Narayanganj, and why they should not be directed to pay compensation for the environmental degradation.

The bench of Justice Fahmida Quader and Justice Mubina Asaf passed the order and issued the rule following a writ petition filed by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB).

During the hearing, HRPB counsel Manzill Murshid told the court that continuous pollution of the Shitalakkhya by factories was destroying aquatic life and negatively impacting river-dependent communities.

He stressed the urgent need for intervention, warning that "failure to act now could lead to the complete degradation of the river, posing a serious threat to the environment."

The lawyer also emphasised that unless polluters are held financially accountable, they would continue to damage the ecosystem with impunity.

Deputy Attorney General Md Shafiqur Rahman represented the state during hearing.