OpinionIn Bangla Tribune, Ekram Kabir writes that two-thirds of Bangladesh's 1,415 listed rivers barely exist, that Dhaka's four rivers take in about 330 tonnes of waste a day, and that polluted irrigation water is reaching soil and crops.
EnvironmentResearchers found plastic waste 15 to 17 years old 15 feet down in the Buriganga's bed; fish from the river carry more microplastics than fish from the Bay of Bengal, and Sundarbans water holds 23.25 particles a litre.
A TIB-backed Active Citizens Group meeting heard that waste dumped in drains and canals causes waterlogging and a temporary riverside dump is polluting water, soil and air.
Not one of the 23 municipalities in Rajshahi and Natore has its own dumping station; 22 leave their waste by roads, in rivers and on open land, killing trees and choking the Musakhan River.
Waste from Kapasia bazar in Gazipur has been dumped on the Banar riverbank at the ferry ghat for about five years, while a waste management and compost centre 500 metres away, opened in 2023, has been out of use since 2024.
On World Rivers Day, photographs of three rivers in Dhaka and Chattogram show factory effluent, vessel oil, floating plastic and two-coloured water.
Factory waste, vessel oil and encroachment are wrecking Bangladesh's rivers; a study found heavy metals above WHO limits in Meghna fish, and families hit by erosion report more depression.
Government and World Bank data show untreated industrial effluent, sewage and solid waste are severely polluting Bangladesh's rivers, above all around Dhaka, writes Moazzem Hossain Tipu.
Environment Minister Abdul Awal Mintoo expects a visible improvement in Bangladesh's environment within four years, as the government traces river pollution and sets 70 to 80 indicators.
The government will observe Jatka Conservation Week from 7 to 13 April in 20 hilsa-rich districts, the fisheries and livestock minister has announced.
Market, hospital and shop waste dumped under a bridge at Allahr Darga bazar in Daulatpur, Kushtia, is polluting the Hisna river and driving people away.
Local people and young volunteers in Daulatpur upazila of Kushtia have launched a campaign to save the Hisna river from pollution.
Dr Forkan Ali warns that global biodiversity collapse and climate change are already emptying Bangladesh's rivers, fish stocks and bird life.
