Encroachers cause Balu river to become narrower as they continue grabbing river banks. The photo was taken from Rupganj near the capital on Thursday.
Continued encroachment and pollution poses a threat to the existence of Balu River, a tributary of the River Sitalakhya, which passes through the Beel Belai and Dhaka.
Encroachers have occupied the river from both sides from Rupganj in Narayanganj to Kaliganj in Gazipur district, while direct discharge of untreated industrial wastewater from textiles and other industries, and domestic waste, has degraded its water quality.
During a recent visit to the river, it was found that at Shashanghat area, some six kilometers away from city’s Natunbazar intersection of Baridhara residential area, the river had been grabbed from both sides by realtors.
The flood basin of the river at that point has already been developed for housing projects and there is no trace of the fact that the area was a flood basin of the river some few years back.
The government has facilitated land use change in areas that used to serve as flood flow zones or flood basin of the river.
The cabinet committee reviewing the Detailed Area Plan of Dhaka in its 6th meeting last year approved a housing project of East West Property Development (Pvt) Limited, allowing the realtor to convert the vast flood basin area of the river under Baruna, Naora, Basulia, Kayemsair, Harinagram, Majina, Bariachhani, Gazaria, Baghber and Talashkoat mouzas under Rupganj upazila in Naryanganj into an urban residential zone.
The committee at the same meeting also allowed East West Property Development
(Pvt) Limited to convert a vast flood flow zone of the river at Joar Sahara, Bhatara, Boro Kathaldia, Boro Beraid, Dumni, Barua, Chhoto Beraid, Patira and Satarkul mouzas for its Bashundhara residential project.
The DAP review committee had identified the areas as flood flow zones and water bodies and set a condition that the applicants would have to complete water modelling of the areas before implementation of their housing projects.
At Kayemsair and Bairachhani mouza at Rupganj the bank and bed of the river as well as its flood basin have been occupied by other realtors.
Vast areas of the flood basin and bank of the river have also been encroached by many individuals and groups, and Tisha Group at Patira mouza of Narayanganj.
Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha has occupied a vast area along the river for developing its Purbachal New Town Project.
A government committee led by the land ministry joint secretary for survey, during its visit to the river in July, 2014, found many points of the river encroached by the realtors and local influential people.
The committee found encroachment of the river at a point of Mothbari mouza in Gazipur by Binimoy Properties and at Yusufganj mouza at Narayanganj many mosques and houses have been built through encroachment of the river by the local people.
Deputy commissioner of Dhaka district Tofazzal Hossain Mia told New Age that they had recovered 135 acres of land of different rivers in Dhaka by evicting encroachers over the last two years.
As for Balu River, he said they did not conduct any significant drive to recover the encroached land of Balu river in the last two years as there was no call from the BIWTA to conduct any drives.
The Department of Environment collected samples from Balu river’s three locations including – Tongi, west side of Tongi bridge and near Jabar-Jubair textile mills – in 2010.
According to the RWQ report 2010, the level of Dissolved Oxygen was nil at all locations from January to May. The standard DO level is greater than or equal to 5mg per litre for fisheries.
According to a report prepared by the DoE in 2001, since 1989 the level of DO in Balu River was much lower than standard level.
The report also found that the level of Biochemical Oxygen Demand in river Balu varied from 2.1 to 38 mg/l against the environmental quality standard of less than or equal to 6mg/l for fisheries.
Barisal University vice chancellor and former professor of Dhaka University soil, water and environment department SM Imamul Huq told New Age that Balu River will also be reduced to the miserable fate of Buriganga River if the industries did not stop dumping waste in the river right now.
Sharif Jamil, joint secretary of Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon, said the BIWTA was indifferent towards the land grabbers.
BIWTA chairman commodore Mozammel Haque, however, told New Age that they had launched an extensive eviction drive to free the encroached river banks and taken up projects to construct walkways on the freed land.
Source: New Age
