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Once a safe haven for indigenous fish stocks to breed and a centre of human activity, the Suvadda Canal on the outskirts of the capital in Keraniganj has now been left to die.
The canal, which connects the River Buriganga to the River Dhaleshwari, was a source of drinking water for people of 50 villages of Suvadda, Aganagar, and Teghoria unions and a place for boat races.
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Many families used to make a living by fishing here. Large vessels would ply the canal. However, the stench of the moribund canal now smacks one in the face as he sees only piles of garbage while walking along its banks.
Filled with household garbage and plastic waste, Suvadda has lost its water quality and carrying capacity.
Also, the dumping of solid waste and garment waste has blocked the artery of the waterway. There is waste and waste everywhere as far as one can see.
During the dry season, the canal goes dry for lack of depth. Garment factories and locals have also been filling up the canal by dumping solid waste, contracting the canal's width and depth.
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Also, shops and markets were illegally set up and pillars erected on the banks of the canal.
Plans to revive the Suvadda Canal, once considered a lifeline of Keraniganj, have stumbled time and again. The canal could never be freed completely.
The Bangladesh Water Development Board excavated the canal and conducted drives against illegal encroachers in 2008. But locals and garment, dyeing and other factories kept on dumping waste and waste fabric into the canal.
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