Environment Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan has urged the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and other development partners to assist Bangladesh in making a successful example of river restoration .
Speaking as the chief guest at a seminar titled "River Restoration: Lessons for Bangladesh", held at Pani Bhaban in Dhaka on Sunday, she highlighted that even polluted rivers can be transformed into sources of drinking water, as seen in different countries.
She stressed the need for restoring entire river connection systems instead of focusing on isolated rivers, saying, “Chromium pollution from tanneries is a major challenge for the Buriganga River.”
She called for immediate, practical actions instead of drafting policies and plans and proposed a clear action plan, backed by ADB, utilising institutions like the National River Protection Commission, the River Research Institute, and the Institute of Water Modelling.
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Announcing the formation of a task force, she pledged to reclaim and decontaminate at least one river with ADB's support.
She said, “The ongoing revision of the 1999 Water Policy and the Delta Plan will serve as a framework for future river restoration. The Water Resources Planning Organization (WRPO) has already prepared an action plan for restoring rivers in the valley.”
“The Department of Environment’s director general has been instructed to issue notices to polluters, and the government has expressed readiness to assist industries in implementing pollution control measures,” she added.
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Additionally, Rizwana Hasan mentioned that the government has compiled a complete list of river encroachers and called for effective steps to prevent plastic pollution in rivers.
She pointed out that traditional dredgers cannot remove plastic waste from riverbeds, necessitating specialised equipment and urged the formation of a working committee, led by the Ministry of Water Resources and including relevant ministries and experts, to address these issues.
The seminar was chaired by Dr Farhina Ahmed, secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change.
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Key attendees included Mohammad Ejaz, newly appointed administrator of Dhaka North City Corporation; Hoe Yun Jeong, ADB’s resident representative in Bangladesh; and Nazmul Ahsan, Secretary of the Ministry of Water Resources.