Staff Reporter :
The government is planning to restore five major rivers around Dhaka with financial support from the World Bank, according to Environment Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan.
“If the negotiations are successful, work will commence shortly,” she said during a seminar at North South University in the capital on Monday.
Rizwana explained that discussions with the World Bank regarding the river restoration project are currently ongoing.
“Efforts are currently focused on restoring navigability to the Dhaleshwari, Turag, Shitalakkhya, and Balu rivers with World Bank funding.
The Buriganga is not included in this plan due to certain dredging complications,” the adviser noted.
Describing Bangladesh as a “failed nation” in terms of environmental potential, Rizwana said the country ranks 179th out of 180 nations on the Environmental Performance Index.
“Most of our rivers are biologically dead. Reviving them is an enormous challenge,” she remarked.
She also emphasized that environmental protection cannot be the responsibility of a single ministry.
“Everyone must work together in a coordinated and planned manner. The River Protection Commission alone cannot achieve these goals,” Rizwana added.
The adviser expressed concern over the construction of the Chattogram-Cox’s Bazar railway line.
“This railway was entirely unnecessary. It destroyed forests and disrupted elephant habitats. This project seems driven more by political motives than public need,” she alleged.
“Did anyone in Cox’s Bazar demand a railway? They managed transportation effectively for years without it.
This line was constructed mainly to serve financial interests and political gains at the expense of the environment,” Rizwana continued.
In addition to river restoration, she stressed the importance of reviving Dhaka’s canals and urged future governments to prioritize environmental protection at the highest level.
The seminar was organized by the South Asian Institute of Policy and Governance.
Dhaka North City Corporation Administrator Mohammad Ejaz attended as a special guest, while North South University Associate Professor Abdus Samad delivered a keynote presentation on the current state of Dhaka’s major rivers.
