Wasa responsible for 68 underground drains, sewerage lines: HC

The High Court yesterday observed that Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Wasa) is responsible for controlling 68 underground drains and sewerage lines connected to the Buriganga river.

These drains and sewerage lines have been polluting the river, and the pollution must be stopped, HC said, adding that Dhaka city corporations are responsible for the surface pipelines.

Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) recently submitted a compliance report to the HC, saying that there are 68 underground drains and sewerage lines connected to Buriganga river.

Yesterday, the HC bench of Justice Gobinda Chandra Tagore and Justice Mohammad Ullah set December 8 for passing an order on this issue.

The bench made the observation and set the date while hearing a writ petition filed by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh in 2010, seeking necessary orders to prevent pollution of the Buriganga.

Meanwhile, the High Court ordered BIWTA to identify whether there are any waste disposal lines connected to both shores of Buriganga in Dhaka except the 68 underground drains and sewerage lines, and to seal them by January 7 next year.

BIWTA has been asked to submit a report before the HC after complying with the directive by January 7, as its lawyer Advocate Syed Mafizur Rahman sought time for this purpose.        

At the same time, the HC yesterday refused to accept the unconditional apology offered by the Managing Director of Dhaka Wasa, Taqsem A Khan, as the apology application was not properly filed with the court.

Khan on Monday submitted the application through Wasa lawyer, offering unconditional apology to the HC bench for making an untrue statement about sewerage lines connected to the Buriganga. 

Wasa lawyer Barrister AM Masum sought time from the HC for submitting another compliance report to it.

The HC bench expressed dissatisfaction at Barrister AM Masum as he sent a junior lawyer -- Advocate M Nahiyan-Ibn-Subhan -- on Monday to represent him (Masum) before the court in connection with the case.

Taking fees as a senior lawyer and sending a junior lawyer as representative before the court is “fraudulence”, the HC bench commented.

The court ordered the Department of Environment (DoF) to submit a report by December 8 on whether there are any industrial operations near Buriganga in Dhaka without having valid environmental clearance certificate, which are dumping wastes into the river. 

Earlier on Monday, the DoE submitted a report before the HC through its lawyer Amatul Karim, stating that it shut down 18 factories by the Buriganga as they were operating without environmental clearance.

During yesterday’s hearing,  Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh lawyer Advocate Manzill Murshid told the HC that the court has given several directives to the authorities concerned -- particularly Dhaka Wasa -- to take effective steps to clean and save Buriganga, but they ignored the directives.

He said it is high time that the court takes a hard line so that the directives are implemented properly.

Advocate Manzill Murshid prayed to the HC to issue a contempt of court rule against the Wasa MD for not complying with the orders and making an untrue statement.

In response, the HC bench said issuing the contempt of court rule has become a toothless phenomenon. 

Following the same writ petition, the HC on June 1, 2011, directed the government to seal off all sewerage lines to the Buriganga within the next year.