Balu and its tributary near Rampura Bridge threatened

Land and river grabbers appear unstoppable
Non-stop earth filing, illegal occupation and indiscriminate dumping of household and industrial wastes have heavily narrowed Balu river branch down the Rampura bridge turning it into a tiny canal and causing environment hazards for local residents of Begunbari to Fakirkhali areas.
With the onset of Monsoon, scores of cargo and sand carrying mechanized boats thronged the endangered river branch off-loading the sand and earth on both sides with the use of small make-shift dredgers and long discharge pipes, residents complained, adding the DCC garbage trucks also dump tons of rotten wastes on both banks of the dying river.
The bad smell coming out of the dumped garbage is polluting the environment and threatening the health of people of fast-growing residential areas behind Rampura TV centre and nearby high rise Banashri apartment buildings. Commuters using the parallel road  have to cover their noses against stinky smells as they pass along the area every day, locals complained and regretted that despite repeated reminders and petitions the authorities did not take any action.
Rights and environmental activities complained that the successive governments had assured the residents of taking tough actions against river bank grabbers and illegal occupants and to protect the rivers. But in most cases such government drives end up with organised thugs backed by influential quarters manage to suspend the eviction campaign even at the start.
If this trend continues without any immediate bail out action, the fast-dying river, which still serves as one of the drainage lifelines of the capital will vanish from the city map, Rafiqul Islam, a Banashri resident, apprehended.
During a visit to the affected river bank areas yesterday this reporter found a near anarchic situation on both sides of the narrow river crowded with dozens of sand laden engine boats pushing their ways to off load sands ordered mostly by land and river bank grabbers. Most of the boats were then fitted with small dredger machines having long discharge pipes to carry the silt and sand to designated riverside low-lands. Most of the users of filling sands are real estate companies and land traders who dominate the areas from Rampura Bridge to Fakhirkhali near the Balu river point.
The locals told The Independent that it was happening under the very nose of a section of concerned officials responsible for saving the river. These officials play a silent role as they are allegedly bribed by the developers to keep their mouth shut.
Among the leading developers active in the area are Bashundhora and Eastern Housing, residents said, adding they unlawfully already filled in such vast water bodies and river banks in and around Bonosree, Boithakhali, Nimtoli, Saitantoli, Baghapur, Meradia, Angarjora and Mollabari areas.
Hundreds of illegal structures have sprung up along the river banks, narrowing the river very fast. It is a dying canal now and the situation will get worse unless steps are taken urgently.
Earlier the people of these areas used to catch fish in the river round the year. But now it has hardly water for six months and the water mostly dirty and polluted almost throughout the year.
The dying river once used serve the vast wetland surrounded by Gulshan, Rampura, Madhubag, Mirbag, Tejgaon Industrial Area, Ulan, Maddhya Badda and Bonosree of the extended Dhaka city. Through the river, major cargos like fish, vegitable, fruits, bamboo, timber and so on used to come to Dhaka boat big boats from outside. But due to illegal grabbing, it has now turned into a narrow canal connecting Begunbari with Rampura and beyond.
Once Begunbari canal was connected with Dhanmondi Lake and Dhanmondi Lake was with Turag River through Katashur canal. The other side of Begunbari canal was connected with Balu River and still they are connected, though Balu River is going to be lost to land grabber in near future unless the authorities wake up and save it.
Omar Ali (50), a boatman of Boithakali, told The Independent that he is plying boat for last 25 years in Rampura canal. “There was a vast wetland beside the Balu river. But it  now filled up by the land grabbers in front my eyes,” he said. Shahidullah (40), a fisherman, said, “We cannot catch fish in this foul water as there is no fish in the river. Due to this I have to resort to other work to earn my livelihood and feed my family,” the ex-fisherman lamented.
All these are going in the name of so-called development, another resident said and asked how can we call them development when it is chocking the river and threatening the vast wetland without which the capital Dhaka might one day turn out to be a dead city. 
 
Courtesy of The Independent