The Buriganga River ( bn, বুড়িগঙ্গা, ''Buŗigônga'', ) is a river in
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
which flows past the southwest outskirts of the capital city,
Dhaka
Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city ...
. Its average depth is and its maximum depth is . It ranks among the most
polluted
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause adverse change. Pollution can take the form of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or energy (such as radioactivity, heat, sound, or light). Pollutants, the ...
rivers in the country.
Dhaleshwari River
According to
R. C. Majumdar
Ramesh Chandra Majumdar (known as R. C. Majumdar; 4 December 1888 – 11 February 1980) was a historian and professor of Indian history. Majumdar is a noted historian of modern India. He was a former Sheriff of Kolkata.
Early life and educatio ...
, in the distant past, it is probable that a course of the
Ganges
The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...
river used to reach the
Bay of Bengal
The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean, bounded on the west and northwest by India, on the north by Bangladesh, and on the east by Myanmar and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India. Its southern limit is a line between ...
through the
Dhaleshwari River
The Dhaleshwari River ( bn, ধলেশ্বরী ''Dhôleshshori'') is a distributary, long, of the Jamuna River (Bangladesh), Jamuna River in central Bangladesh. It starts off the Jamuna near the northwestern tip of Tangail District. After ...
. The Buriganga originated from the
Dhaleshwari
The Dhaleshwari River ( bn, ধলেশ্বরী ''Dhôleshshori'') is a distributary, long, of the Jamuna River in central Bangladesh. It starts off the Jamuna near the northwestern tip of Tangail District. After that it divides into two br ...
in the south of Savar, near Dhaka In the 20th century the water table and river became polluted by
polythenes and other hazardous substances from demolished buildings near the river banks.
Pollution
The Buriganga is economically very important to Dhaka.
Launches and country boats provide connection to other parts of
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
, a largely riverine country. When the Mughals made Dhaka their capital in 1610, the banks of the Buriganga were already a prime location for trade. The river was also the city's main source of drinking water.
Today, the Buriganga river is afflicted by the noisome problem of pollution. The chemical waste of mills and factories, household waste,
medical waste
Biomedical waste or hospital waste is any kind of waste containing infectious (or potentially infectious) materials. It may also include waste associated with the generation of biomedical waste that visually appears to be of medical or laboratory ...
,
sewage
Sewage (or domestic sewage, domestic wastewater, municipal wastewater) is a type of wastewater that is produced by a community of people. It is typically transported through a sewer system. Sewage consists of wastewater discharged from residenc ...
, dead animals,
plastics
Plastics are a wide range of synthetic polymers, synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Their Plasticity (physics), plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be Injection moulding, moulded, Extrusion, e ...
, and oil are some of the Buriganga's pollutants. The city of Dhaka discharges about 4,500 tons of
solid waste
Municipal solid waste (MSW), commonly known as trash or garbage in the United States and rubbish in Britain, is a waste type consisting of everyday items that are discarded by the public. "Garbage" can also refer specifically to food waste, ...
every day and most of it is released into the Buriganga. According to the
Department of Environment
An environmental ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for the environment and/or natural resources. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of the Environment, ...
, of
toxic waste
Toxic waste is any unwanted material in all forms that can cause harm (e.g. by being inhaled, swallowed, or absorbed through the skin). Mostly generated by industry, consumer products like televisions, computers, and phones contain toxic chemi ...
are released into the river by the
tanneries
Tanning may refer to:
*Tanning (leather), treating animal skins to produce leather
*Sun tanning, using the sun to darken pale skin
**Indoor tanning, the use of artificial light in place of the sun
**Sunless tanning, application of a stain or dye t ...
every day. Experts identified nine industrial areas in and around the capital city as the primary sources of river pollution:
Tongi
Tongi ( bn, টঙ্গী) is a major township in Gazipur District, Gazipur, Bangladesh, with a population of 350,000. It hosts the Biswa Ijtema and features a Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industry Corporation, BSCIC industrial area, which prod ...
,
Tejgaon,
Hazaribagh
Hazaribagh is a city and a municipal corporation in Hazaribagh district in the Indian state of Jharkhand. It is the divisional headquarters of North Chotanagpur division. It is considered as a health resort and is also popular for Hazaribagh ...
, Tarabo,
Narayanganj
Narayanganj ( bn, নারায়ণগঞ্জ ''Naraeongônj'') is a city in central Bangladesh. It is in the Narayanganj District, about southeast of the capital city of Dhaka, and has a population of about 2 million. It is the 6th larges ...
,
Savar
Savar ( bn, সাভার) is a city in central Bangladesh, located in Dhaka District in the Dhaka Division, division of Dhaka. It is the closest city from Dhaka. It is also a part of Greater Dhaka conurbation which forms the Greater Dhaka, D ...
,
Gazipur
Gazipur ( bn, গাজীপুর) is a city in central Bangladesh. It is located in the Gazipur District. It is a major industrial city north of Dhaka. It is a hub for the textile industry in Bangladesh. Its other name is Joydebpur.
Demogra ...
, Dhaka Export Processing Zone and Ghorashal. Most of the industrial units of these areas have no sewage treatment or
effluent treatment plant
Industrial wastewater treatment describes the processes used for treating wastewater that is produced by industries as an undesirable by-product. After treatment, the treated industrial wastewater (or effluent) may be reused or released to a sa ...
s (ETPs) of their own.
More than of toxic waste, including
textile
Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...
dyeing
Dyeing is the application of dyes or pigments on textile materials such as fibers, yarns, and fabrics with the goal of achieving color with desired color fastness. Dyeing is normally done in a special solution containing dyes and particular ...
, printing, washing and pharmaceuticals, are released into the main water bodies of Dhaka every day. According to the Dhaka Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA), about of untreated waste are released into the lake from
Tejgaon,
Badda
Badda ( bn, বাড্ডা) is a Thana of Dhaka District in the Division of Dhaka, Bangladesh. It was formed in December 1998 from parts of Cantonment Thana and Gulshan Thana. Badda is adjacent to Rampura, Gulshan and Baridhara Thanas.
Geogra ...
and
Mohakhali Mohakhali is a neighborhood of Dhaka city, the capital of Bangladesh.
Events
Korail Slum
The Korea Railroad Corporation ( Korean: 한국철도공사, Hanja: ), branded as KORAIL (코레일, officially changed to in November 2019), is t ...
industrial areas every day. The waste mostly comes from
garment washing
Clothing (also known as clothes, apparel, and attire) are items worn on the body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin sheets of materials and natural ...
and
dyeing plant
Dyeing is the application of dyes or pigments on textile materials such as fibers, yarns, and fabrics with the goal of achieving color with desired color fastness. Dyeing is normally done in a special solution containing dyes and particular ch ...
s.
Textile industries
The textile industry is primarily concerned with the design, production and distribution of yarn, cloth and clothing. The raw material may be natural, or synthetic using products of the chemical industry.
Industry process
Cotton manufactur ...
annually discharge as much as 56 million tonnes of waste and 0.5 million tonnes of sludge. Sewage is also released into the Buriganga. A newspaper article from 2004 indicated that up to 80% of Dhaka's sewage was untreated. Because of Dhaka's heavy reliance on river transport for goods, including food, the Buriganga receives especially high amounts of
food waste
Food loss and waste is food that is not eaten. The causes of food waste or loss are numerous and occur throughout the food system, during production, processing, distribution, retail and food service sales, and consumption. Overall, about o ...
since unusable or rotting portions of fruits, vegetables, and fish are thrown into the river.
Nearly 4.0 million people of the city are exposed to the consequences of water pollution every day.
Gallery
Image:BD Sadarghat 3.JPG, Large launches waiting at Sadarghat
The Port of Dhaka is a major river port on the Buriganga River in Dhaka, the capital and largest city of Bangladesh. The port is located in the southern part of the city. It is Bangladesh's busiest port in terms of passenger traffic. The port has s ...
on the Buriganga for different destinations in Bangladesh
Image:BD Sadarghat 2.JPG, A boatman sells pineapples at Sadarghat on the Buriganga
Image:Dhaka-bangla-port.jpg, Sadarghat port on the Buriganga River, Dhaka
Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city ...
city
Image:Steamers in Sadarghat Dhaka.jpg, Sadarghat port on the Buriganga river is an important river transport hub
Image:BD Sadarghat 4.JPG, Small boats ply on the Buriganga at Sadarghat
Image:BurigangaReclaim.JPG, Land reclamation on the Buriganga river dredges sand and deposits it on the floodplain.
Image:Evening of Burigonga River.jpg, Evening of Buriganga River, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Image:Buriganga River Sunset.jpg, Sunset of Buriganga River
Image:BD Sadarghar 1.JPG, Launch
See also
*
Fast fashion
Fast fashion is a term used to describe the clothing industry's business model of replicating recent catwalk trends and High fashion, high-fashion designs, mass production, mass-producing them at a low cost, and bringing them to retail stores qui ...
*
Citarum River
The Citarum River ( su, Walungan Citarum) is the longest and largest river in West Java, Indonesia. It is the third longest river in Java, after Bengawan Solo and Brantas. It plays an important role in the life of the people of West Java. It has ...
References
*
External links
Youtube.com: Time lapse video of the Buriganga River
{{Coord, 23, 38, N, 90, 26, E, display=title, region:BD_type:river_source:GNS-enwiki
Rivers of Bangladesh
Geography of Dhaka
Dhaka District
Ganges basin
Environmental issues in Bangladesh
Rivers of Dhaka Division