Bangladeshis protest on boats to save river

August 6, 2000
Web posted at: 7:44 AM HKT (2344 GMT)

DHAKA, (Reuters) -- Hundreds of Bangladeshi environmental activists on Saturday demonstrated on boats to save the Buriganga river from pollution and landfill, witnesses said.

"Save the Buriganga, save Dhaka," the people on the boats chanted while cruising an eight km (five mile) stretch of the river from the Shayampur terminal.

Flowing by the Bangladesh capital Dhaka, the Buriganga provides drinking water to at least a quarter of Dhaka's 10 million residents, mostly in the slums.

But over the last decade, the 50 km (31 mile) Buriganga has been polluted virtually beyond description as waste from tanneries and chemical industries are released into it, said Quamrul Islam Chowdhury, a member of the Forum of Environmental Journalists of Bangladesh.

He said the river had also been reduced to a canal as vested groups encroached on the river's banks and pushed their holdings with landfill and buildings towards its main stream.

Decades ago Dhaka did not suffer from flooding, but now a small flood inundates the city for hours after every rainfall because the narrowing Buriganga does not have the room to accommodate the rain water.

Government officials said a $12.5 million project was being started to free the river from pollution and encroachment.

Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For more ASIANOW news, myCNN.com will bring you news from the areas and subjects you select.

See related sites about South Asia
South Asian media sites

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.