Saving the rivers
Over the last two weeks or so, images of rivers in the throes of death have appeared on the front page of The Daily Star. We the readers have watched, to our horror, the ugly face of encroachment. The concrete structures built by these grabbers on the lifeline of the capital city are reminiscent of the prehistoric reptiles or some other slimy creatures.
We read in the textbooks that there are some two hundred rivers flowing across the land. Simply put, the whole socio-economic fabric of this land is related to the rivers. One wonders how many of those rivers are still alive .If the big rivers are in a comatose state, then the conditions of the tributaries must be worse.
Since this alluvial land is the gift of the rivers, choking them is a suicidal act. Yet all pervasive greed is getting the better of common sense.
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I applaud the drive to free the rivers from greedy land grabbers. Influential people having links with the government find it easy to grab land and construct buildings on the rivers. I am appalled at the condition of the Buriganga , the murky water, the stench. It must be extremely unhygienic for those who live around the old town area. I do hope the rivers around my city can be saved. Will the drive be sustainable? I just hope people do not forget about this issue.
Samia Ahmed, University of Dhaka
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