The authorities must take action now

A picture published in this paper on March 14 depicts the Surma River in Sylhet city's Kazirbazar where garbage litters its banks. Regrettably, that is the state of most of the rivers in the country.

Expressing concern over the ongoing pollution in Dhaleswari River because of dumping of tannery waste, green activists yesterday said

Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) or the district administration could not take legal action against the encroachers following the status quo.

Apart from toxic industrial effluents, solid and liquid wastes discharged by the Dhaka City Corporation and Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Wasa) have been polluting the rivers around the capital, Mostafizur said.

Moreover, the cadre officials have also influenced an unplanned bridge, now under construction, over the Turag just to connect their housing project to the Tongi-Ashulia bypass.