The canals in several areas including Mohammadpur, Rayerbazar, Hazaribagh, Kalunagar, Bhagalpur, Nawabganj, Shahidnagar, Kamaldanga, Islambagh adjoining the Buriganga old channel in the western part of Dhaka are on the brink of drying up.
The areas face major problems such as severe waterlogging during the monsoon season with little rainfall. Many houses were submerged due to heavy rainfall this year as well.
To tackle the problem, Poribesh Bachao Andolon (POBA) has demanded closing down all the civic facilities including water, electricity and gas supply to the factories and houses those have been built by occupying the Buriganga old channel.
A total of 18 environmentalist organisations made the demands at a human chain formed in front of the National Museum on Saturday.
Their other demands include setting up permanent pillars by demarcating the original channel of Buriganga as per CS records, declaring the records of original channel of Buriganga in the name of individuals and organizations as illegal and cancelling those.
Speakers at the human chain said that despite Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's tough stance to protect the original channel of the Buriganga, the river is being recaptured and the areas need to be dug back after evicting illegal structures. If the width and depth of the river does not increase, it means that the main purpose of evicting illegal structures remains unfulfilled.
Speakers in the human chains said, “Despite the order of the High Court to stop the construction of facilities by filling up rivers and reservoirs, the occupiers remain desperate to snatch every bit of the original channel of the Buriganga.”
It is the demand of the locals, residents and environmental experts to the government so that the authorities intervene to stop this heinous fight for illegal possession, they added.
Leaders and members of Save the Environment Movement (POBA), Human Rights Development Center, Nagorik Odhikar Shongrokkhon (NASF), Devidas Ghat Social Welfare Parliament, Old Dhaka Citizen Initiative, BD Click, Dhaka Youth Foundation, Bangladesh Tourist Cyclist participated in the human chain.
