Rotten and leftover food and household garbage are piled up on the banks of the river. The piles contain various types of non-biodegradable materials, from empty plastic bottles to polythene. These wastes are falling into the river water, polluting the water. There is a ghat next to the garbage pile. A housewife was cleaning dishes at the ghat. This scene was seen while visiting the Parghati area of the Chhota Jamuna River, known as ‘Hritpind’ in Naogaon recently.
Not only in the Parghati area, but in at least 25 places in Naogaon city, waste from commercial establishments, factories and homes is being dumped on the riverbank. As a result, the river water has turned black. Mosquitoes and flies are flying around. The residents of the riverbank are suffering.
Environmental activists say that garbage and waste have been dumped on the banks of the Chota Jamuna River for a long time. The river is being polluted due to the negligence of the administration and municipal authorities and the lack of awareness of the residents. If the waste dumping activities are not stopped, the pollution will become worse.
Milan Chandra, a resident of Parghati Dhopapara area of Naogaon city, told Prothom Alo, “In other areas of the city, municipal cleaners collect garbage from homes. But in our area, garbage is not collected from homes. Moreover, there are no dustbins nearby. As a result, residents are forced to throw their household waste on the river bank.”
Locals complain that at least 25 ghats in the city, including Degree College, Parghati, Shibpur, Aluhati, Liton Bridge, Kalitala, and other places are being polluted by dumping waste from homes, commercial establishments, and factories on the banks of the river. In many places, commercial establishments and rice mills are being built in the inner part of the river from the river embankment. Waste from these is being dumped directly into the river. In addition, waste from household toilets is flowing into the river through drains. Locals allege that such pollution is happening due to lack of monitoring by the municipal authorities and insufficient dustbins.
Rafiqul Islam, president of the Naogaon district branch of Bangladesh Environment Movement (BAPA), told Prothom Alo that one of the reasons for the death knell of the Chhota Jamuna is the discharge of city drains and sewage into the river. Sometimes the water becomes polluted and there is no oxygen for aquatic animals to survive. Often, fish and aquatic animals die and float away in the river.
Alamgir, General Secretary of the BAPA Central Committee, said, “Not only the small Jamuna River, but the rivers all over the country are in the same condition. Rivers are living entities. Rivers must be saved for the needs of people. There is also a High Court order for the local administration to take initiatives to save rivers. But due to the negligence of the administration, city corporation and municipality and the lack of awareness of local residents, the condition of the rivers is getting worse day by day.”
When asked, Naogaon Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) and Naogaon Municipality Administrator AH Irfan Uddin Ahmed told Prothom Alo that the municipality has taken an initiative to collect garbage and waste through cleaning workers by visiting homes and commercial establishments to prevent waste from being thrown anywhere. However, due to the municipality’s manpower shortage, waste is still not being collected from all homes and businesses. To prevent pollution, miking has been done at various places to prevent garbage and waste from being thrown on the riverbank. He said that if specific evidence of river pollution is found against anyone, a mobile court will be set up and punitive action will be taken, he said.
Source: Prothom Alo
