Nature and Life - Episode 283 (Endangered Rivers of Bangladesh) скачать в хорошем качестве

Nature and Life - Episode 283 (Endangered Rivers of Bangladesh)

Bangladesh is a riverine country. Numerous rivers are spread like webs in this country. They flow through the country like pulsing veins. For thousands of years these rivers have been flowing, making the vast land of Bangladesh fertile. For this reason, from ancient times the people of this country largely depend on the rivers for their lives and livelihood. Once upon a time, rivers were one of the important modes of communication for the villages. As a result, cities and ports have been built around the sides of the rivers. Civilizations evolved centering these rivers. Prominent cities of the country like Dhaka, Chattogram, Sylhet, Rajshahi, Khulna and others have been established by the rivers. That is why rivers are the life of this country. But nowadays, many of our rivers are losing their traditional glory. Many rivers have died. Many are on the verge of extinction. In the face of pollution many have turned into garbage heaps. In the name of development many have been filled out. Many are in severe crisis due to want of water from upstream rivers. Four rivers surround the capital Dhaka – Buriganga, Turag, Balu, and Sitalakkha. So, Dhaka could have been an untarnished city. But river Buriganga is now only history to the people. The river is increasingly losing its water retention capabilities. It has become the dumping ground of Dhaka’s solid and liquid wastes. Its water is being polluted with household and medical waste. With excessive pollution the water has lost its natural color. At some parts of the river the amount of dissolved oxygen is near zero. As a result, aquatic animals have become rare in the dying Buriganga. Turag, Balu, and Sitalakkha are also in similar condition. For unplanned construction of mills and factories in Narayanganj, the pollution has increased drastically in river Sitalakkha. The river is constantly being polluted by the factories, sited on its banks. Many industries have also been built on the banks of Karnaphuli river of Chattogram. The river is now littered with the wastes from ship wrecking industry. Unfiltered oil, mobile, chemicals are polluting the river continuously. The speedy Karnaphuli is now dying due to pollution. Surma, the largest river of Sylhet, is in critical condition due to pollution. Wastes are being dumped in various parts of this city centered river. Day by day the pollution is rising with the wastes like: plastic bottle, clinical waste, poly bags, and household wastes. Surma is threatened due to city wastes. Rupsha River in Khulna is also afflicted with shipwrecking waste, chemical and household waste. Salinity is gradually increasing in the water of Rupsha. As a result, the aquatic ecosystem of the river is being threatened. The Padma River is also not in good condition. It has worn-out by losing water flow due to the dam in the upstream. The river has lost its proper course, as chars have emerged in many places due to lack of apt management. So, it no longer has its former glory. Like Padma many other rivers, that have lost their course, become violent in the monsoon. The river swallow the life and livelihood of people. Life becomes miserable. Apart from these, many of our rivers are now threatened due to various reasons. As a result, the aquatic ecosystem of the country is becoming unbalanced. The riverine animals like Ganges River Dolphin, otters, turtles, gavials, birds etc. are becoming endangered. Some of the wildlife has already gone extinct. The population of fishes has declined in the rivers. We are about to lose our identity as ‘Rice and Fish make a Bengali’. So, we have to take proper steps now to conserve these threatened rivers. We have to identify and stop the causes of river pollution. We have to manage the waste disposal system properly to stop river pollution. We have to treat industrial chemical wastes through ETP instead of dumping in the rivers. Similarly, by digging up the filled out rivers we need to increase the water flow. Overall, we have to bring back the natural state of the rivers through proper management. Only then the threatened rivers and their biodiversity will be saved. And the thousand years old Bengali tradition and culture will sustain.