Bell tolls for Manu river
Once upon a time, the Manu river, flowing beside Moulvibazar town, had a picturesque landscape with clear waters.
However, unplanned garbage disposal in and around the waterbody has turned it into a wasteland. Repeated garbage dumping has not only altered the course of the waterbody but also led to sedimentation, gradually leading to its loss of depth and emergence of sandy chars on its bed.
Visiting the Shanti Bagh area near the river recently, this correspondent was confronted with a gut-wrenching sight. Garbage, including non-biodegradable single use plastics and polythene, were accumulated on the river shore as well as floating in the water, with a putrid smell emanating from it.
A man was seen carrying a garbage bag and nonchalantly throwing it on the shore. A rotting corpse of a dead animal was seen amid the pile of waste, with flies buzzing around. A little to the east was a sandy shoal that has become visible above the shallow water. At a distance lay a decaying carcass of a cow, being scavenged by stray dogs.
A similar sight was witnessed near Manu bridge and in Chandi Ghat area, where raw waste from kitchen markets was being discharged into the river.
"Manu River is dying due to pollution. People are throwing plastics, raw and solid wastes, causing irreparable damage to the environment," said Shib Prasanna Bhattacharya, general secretary of Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon (Bapa), Moulvibazar district unit.
Urging the authorities concerned to take proper measures to save the river, he highlighted their efforts in preserving the waterbody.
"Many locals on the riverbank use this water for household purposes. We have organised programmes and human chains, held meetings, boat processions and distributed pamphlets to raise awareness but it's not enough," he added.
Contacted, Md Fazlur Rahman, mayor of the municipality, said they have a door-to-door waste collection system but some people continue to discard their waste into the river, thereby polluting it.
Javed Iqbal, executive engineer of Water Development Board in Moulvibazar, echoed him.
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