Green and right activists on Friday demanded immediate government intervention to save the country's rivers, saying that a syndicate was trying to grab the rivers and the water resources.
They urged the government not to hand over the water resources to the businessmen and ensure people's right to water bodies.
They made the call at a human chain organised by rights organisation Citizens' Solidarity in front of the National Press Club in the capital.
Citizens' Solidarity general secretary Sharifuzzaman Sharif presided over the programme which was addressed by Save the Environment Movement chairman Abu Naser Khan, Citizens' Rights Movement secretary general Tusher Rehman, PEACE secretary general Ifma Hossain, former director general of Water Development Board M Inamul Haque, Nirapad Development Foundation chairman Ibnul Syed Rana, Protect and Progress Foundation general secretary Jibanananda Jayanta and former student leader of Rajshahi University Raquibe Hasan Munna.
Abu Naser Khan alleged that the discussion over saving the rivers was not effected as no initiative by the government was seen over the previous years because of a number of river grabbers within the government.
He urged the government to free the river from the grabbers and ensure their natural flow.
Jibanananda Jayanta said the people who grabbed the state mechanism since the independence were really engaged in grabbing the rivers.
He demanded that the government should give exemplary punishment to the grabbers and their patrons among the government.
Sharifuzzaman Sharif said the country had almost fifteen hundred rivers in the eleventh century while the number came down to about 250 and later it came to only 158 due to grabbing and other reasons.
He also said almost 17 rivers of the country including Narsundar, Bibiana, Palang, Mukteshwari, Marichap, Baral, Hisna were dead while eight others including Karatowa, Ichhamati, Kaliganga, Kumar, Chitra, Vadra, Sumeshwari and Nabaganga are almost dying.
The activists pointed out the importance of the rivers and said the survival of human civilisation would be impossible if all the rivers died.
They suggested a cleaner production in every factory, ban on throwing hospital, household and other wastes and oil into rivers, freeing the river from the grabbers and demarking them and river-water-friendly policy to be followed by the government organisations including Water Development Board, city corporation, town development organisations, WASA, BIWTA and other water and river related ministries.
Source: New Age
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