| Abstract | Most of the cities of the world have grown up on the bank of rivers. Now a day, water pollution
of urban rivers is a growing concern of Urban Environmental Management (UEM) all over the
world. The situation is more severe in the cities of the third world due to rapid urbanization and
industrialization, unplanned city development, inadequate and inefficient urban civic services,
ineffective regulations and institutional incompatibilities. The pollution of urban rivers is posing
threats to urban water supply, communication, recreation, aquatic life, and human health of the
cities. It goes without saying that to keep the water quality of urban rivers in pristine stage is not
economically viable, even impossible. However, there must be certain limit of degradation of
water quality to ensure different use of river water and sustainable development of the cities.
Management of urban river water quality is a multidimensional task. Therefore, different
countries are adopting strategies based on technological, infrastructural, institutional and
regulatory measures in their practices to protect water quality of urban rivers.
Unlike rivers of other third world cities, water of the Buriganga river of Dhaka city is severely
polluted as revealed from different water quality monitoring data. The water of the river is
beyond hwnan use and not congenial for survival of any aquatic life. The main causes are
continuous dumping of untreated domestic and industrial wastes and indiscriminate
encroachment of the river. The water of the Buriganga is getting degraded day-by-day, despite
existence of various policies, programs adopted by different institutions and presence of
nwnerous laws.
This study concentrated its analysis only on the institutional and regulatory aspects of Water
Quality Management (WQM) of Buriganga river. The study mainly used secondary data to
analyze the issues related to the WQM of the river. Primary data was collected also through
questionnaire survey of stakeholders (owners of industries, fishermen, boatmen, shun people).
Data from these sources have been used as supportive information with the secondary data.
Situation of different issues (urbanization and economy, urban development affairs and UEM
and urban services delivery in Dhaka city, sources and causes of water pollution, policies,
programs, regulations and institutions) related to WQM of Buriganga river has been analyzed
considering implications, influences, efficiency, gap and trends of the factors involved in each
issue.
Issue-wise situation analysis reveals following loopholes in WQM of the Buriganga: i) Dhaka
city is developing without any plan; ii) Urban civic services (sewage, drainage, treatment facility,
solid waste management) are inadequate and inefficient~ iii) There are no effective UEM
practices in the city; iv) Institutions involved in the different issues of WQM have failed to
perform their mandates; v) There is no concrete program for WQM of the river and coordination
among the institutions involve in existing programs is very less, if not at all; and vi) Laws
related to WQM of the river are rarely enforced. All these reflect that there is no institution, no
policy and no program, specific to address the pollution problems of the river, which have turned
the Buriganga an Orph an river. The situation demand number of actions need to be taken
to address the WQM problem of the river.
In order to achieve better water quality of the Buriganga river, the study recommends a twoprong strategic approach. In one, the target is to enact a new law (styled as the Bllr iga. nga
Ac l) for ensuring better regulatory measures; the other is to create a single authority called the
ii
Bu:r ·iganga. River lvl a.nagenH?nt Authority (BRM.4) to adopt Buriganga
as its sole custodian to ensure better water quality management programs by specifically
addressing problems related to WQM. All the present laws related to pollution control of the
Buriganga will be up to dated and consolidated under the new act. This act will have some other
provisions important for pollution control of the river. The newly created BRMA will be
responsible for some specific mandates like wastewater management of Hazaribagh tannery area
and protection of encroachment in the river and coordination of overall activities related to river
water quality protection.
WQM of the Buriganga needs early adoption and successful implementation of these
recommendations that depend on strong political commitment and realization of real situation at
policy level. |