The Awami League-led Grand Alliance government has failed to free the country’s besieged rivers from encroachers and prevent pollution of water and air. There has not been proper management of waste during its five-year tenure. The government also failed to sign an agreement with India to share the Teesta waters. Failing as well to protect the flora and fauna of the Sunderbans, the world biggest mangrove forests, from the hands of land grabbers and poachers. The government allowed setting up of a coal-fired Rampal Thermal Power Plant and a number of private dockyards, ignoring the protection of the world heritage, the Sunderbans, home to the endangered Royal Bengal Tiger.
Other mega projects, including implementation of the Ganges Barrage project, the Buriganga River Restoration Project (New Dhaleswari-Pungli-Bangshi-Turag- Buriganga river system), dredging of every big and small river to maintain their navigability round the year and free water, air and environment from pollution were among the top priority projects of the government, which, however, remained unfulfilled during the last five years.
The environment and forest ministry has claimed that it has imposed a fine of Tk. 117.79 crore on various industries and establishments for polluting the air, water and soil, formulated new laws, increased the manpower to 735 from 267 in the department of environment, installed 812 effluent treatment plants, filed 574 cases against enterprises and individuals for flouting environment protection laws in the last five years.
Besides, Otherways Management Association, a Paris-based environment organisation, has selected the environment and forest ministry of Bangladesh for the “Global Green Award-2014” for sustainable development in the last five years, environment and forest minister Hasan Mahmud told The Independent.
The AL election manifesto, released in December 2008, had said: “An integrated policy and plan will be formulated to protect the country from the adverse effects of global warming; to create pollution-free environment and to save water resources. Projects will be undertaken for river dredging, water conservation, flood control, prevention of river erosion and protection of forestry.
Attempts will also be made for restoring and maintaining ecological balance. Initiatives will be taken to implement the Ganges Barrage project to expand irrigation facilities, prevent salinity and resolve the problem of scarcity of fresh water in the Sunderbans region.”
“Effective regional and international cooperation will be sought for the protection of environment and development of water resources. Modern scientific methods will be adopted to prevent water and air pollution and in disposal of waste,” the manifesto added.
Hasan Mahmud further said that they have collected four more international awards and got membership in six important international committees as reward for development of the environment sector.
“The country’s forests have been increased to 13.2 per cent from 9.5 per cent in the last five years. The Bangabandhu Safari Park has been set up at Gazipur on 4,000 acres at a cost of Tk. 220 crore,” the minister said. Over 100 projects were taken up under the climate change fund to combat the effects of climate change across the country.
The executive engineer of the Bangladesh Water Development Board, Gazi Mohammad Altafuzzaman, said they have taken up a pilot project of Tk. 1,022 crore under the capital dredging scheme, which is the Prime Minister’s priority project. They were able to complete only half of the project since 2010, he said.
The Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) took up development of about 162 km of waterways project in December 2010 at a cost of Tk. 944.09 crore to infuse new life into four rivers girdling the capital — the Buriganga, Turag, Shitlakhya and the Balu — by diverting water from the Jamuna.
The BWDB has failed to complete the Buriganga-Jamuna waterways project in due time because of funds crisis, sources said.
Besides, the ministry concerned has failed to clean the country’s rivers, particularly investing Tk. 65 crore to clean and dredge the highly polluted Buriganga, Shitalakhya and the Turag and the environment from pollution, the source added.
The circular waterways round the capital to facilitate movement of people and transportation of goods is another example of an unplanned project. Its planners did not visualise that bridges would act as obstacles to the smooth plying of vessels during the monsoon when rivers swell.
Courtesy of The Independent
