Shaikh Mohammad Atahe Rabbi, who spent his childhood by the Rupsha River, remembers crossing the river at dusk and feeling a strong connection to nature. Now, he watches with sorrow as pollution and unchecked development have diminished the river’s beauty and vitality.
Similarly, Md Ajbar Rahman, who grew up watching giant ferries and cargo ships sail through the vibrant Bhairab River, recalls a time when the river was full of life and energy. Today, he laments the narrowing of the river and the rarity of large vessels.
These personal reflections echo a broader crisis affecting many of Khulna’s rivers. According to the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA), 37 out of the region’s 138 rivers including major ones like Rupsha, Bhairab, Pashur, and Kopotakkho are in critical condition.
These rivers, once rich in biodiversity and crucial for local livelihoods, are now plagued by pollution, reduced water flow, and encroachment.
BELA attributes the decline to several factors, including unnecessary dams and sluice gates that disrupt natural water flow, illegal structures blocking waterways, and extensive encroachments along the riverbanks. Experts warn that this problem is not confined to Khulna but affects rivers nationwide.
“Maintaining a continuous flow of surface water is crucial to prevent these issues,” Prof Md Humayun Kabir of Department of Geography and Environment at Dhaka University, told the TIMES of Bangladesh.
As a riverine country, rivers are the heart of Bangladesh. According to the Ministry of Water Resources there are 1,415 rivers across the country.
Data from the River and Delta Research Center (RDRC) in 2023 revealed that nearly 500 rivers in Bangladesh have disappeared over the past 50 years.
Nearly 400 more rivers are now facing severe threats and are on the verge of extinction, according to a survey by the Bangladesh Environmental Movement.
Dr Kabir said government projects over the past 20 to 30 years have largely failed to prioritise river preservation, resulting in the gradual shrinking of many rivers.
Retired Jahangirnagar University professor Anu Muhammad, in a discussion on Friday, identified three major causes of river degradation: India’s dam and interlinking projects, Bangladesh’s own harmful infrastructure such as polders and embankments, and the capture of rivers by politically powerful actors.
“To protect rivers, everyone must be held accountable,” he said, adding that questions must be raised about how projects by the Water Development Board, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and bureaucrats have devastated the rivers.
To tackle this problem, the Ministry of Water Resources has launched a plan to clean and restore 64 rivers nationwide, with a focus on 13 critically endangered rivers.
Each river will receive a dedicated project funded by a budget of up to Tk50 crore, amounting to a total investment of Tk500 to Tk600 crore.
The initiative aims to remove illegal encroachments, control pollution at its source, and dredge filled riverbeds to improve river health, water quality, and sustainable water management for both the environment and local communities.
Dr Kabir highlighted, “All these years we saw that the root of the problem lies in governance, poor administration, and mismanagement. We have failed to properly look after rivers, which has led to the current situation.”
He expressed hope that if the government takes even minimal action, these issues could potentially be reduced.
