The final list of rivers will be published in Pahela Baisakh: Environment Advisor

Environment, Forest and Climate Change Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan said that the final list of rivers will be published on Pahela Baisakh next year.

He said this at an information seminar on determining the number of rivers in Bangladesh held at the Multipurpose Hall of Pani Bhavan in Dhaka on Tuesday (December 10).

Besides, the advisor ordered to send the list of canals of all districts within 3 months.

The advisor said, in publishing the final list of rivers, the Ministry of Water Resources, the Ministry of Shipping and the Ministry of Land will also be added. Dead river means no river, flowless. There are many processes or ways to make a stagnant river flow. There is no opportunity to lease or rent river space showing dead river. But we have finalized the list of Haor, we have also finalized a list of Bill. The next task is to finalize the list of canals.

The advisor instructed the District Administrators of the whole country who were virtually involved in the awareness seminar to verify and send the list of all canals in the district according to the records to the Ministry within the next 3 months from today.

Adviser Rizwana Hasan directed the concerned to start working on a detailed action plan to capture and de-pollute these 3 rivers – Buriganga, Turag and Shitalakshya – around Dhaka. He also said that he has almost finalized the plan to make a blue network by seizing and depolluting the 21 canals inside Dhaka and its implementation will be started soon. We will soon start the work of capturing and de-polluting one river in each district of the country.

Adviser to the Ministry of Shipping and Labor and Employment in the guest speech at the seminar. M Sakhawat Hossain said, Bangladesh is a country with rivers. The people of this country are directly and indirectly dependent on the rivers. However, although it is sad, in the name of true development, river channels have been occupied. To save the river, it must be freed from pollution and illegal encroachment. Now is the right time to save the river. To do otherwise will cause a conflict of interest.

The seminar was presided over by Mr. Nazmul Ahsan, Secretary of the Ministry of Water Resources.

Bangladesh Water Development Board Director General Engineer Muhammad Amirul Haque Bhuna along with senior officials of the Ministry of Water Resources, Bangladesh Water Development Board and the heads of the organizations under the ministry were present.