The Sutang River in Habiganj has fallen into acute environmental crisis as untreated industrial waste has turned stretches of the river black, prompting environmental activists to demand firm political commitment to restore it.
Small and large factories set up over the past decade in the Olipur industrial area are accused of discharging untreated effluent into the river, contaminating water, air and soil.
Residents say the absence of regular dredging, coupled with encroachment and land filling, has further choked the river, accelerating its decline.
On Monday afternoon, leaders of Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA) visited affected sections of the river and described Sutang as one of the country’s most polluted waterways due to prolonged environmental and humanitarian fallout.
They called on newly elected representatives to prioritise environmental protection and take concrete steps to make the river pollution-free.
Metropolitan University Vice Chancellor Professor Mohammad Zahirul Haq, who is also a central organiser of Dhara, and Habiganj BAPA General Secretary Tofazzal Sohel joined the inspection along with members of local civil society.
They said unchecked industrialisation since 2010, particularly after 2014, has triggered severe environmental degradation in the region, placing biodiversity under serious threat.
Industrial waste, they warned, flows from the Sutang into nearby haors and eventually into the Meghna River, expanding the impact beyond Habiganj.
“Since 2014, people in this area have faced grave environmental consequences,” said BAPA General Secretary Tofazzal Sohel, adding that biodiversity is now under significant threat.
Professor Mohammad Zahirul Haq said factories continue to operate without proper regard for domestic and international environmental and industrial laws.
“Although many factories have effluent treatment plants, these are often not kept operational,” he said, pointing to pollution in the Sutang River, Shailjura canal and surrounding water bodies as evidence.
He warned that failure to curb pollution could deepen the humanitarian crisis already emerging in Habiganj.
Environmental activists say without strict enforcement of regulations and sustained political will, the ecological damage to the Sutang River may become irreversible.
