This was the presentation on submission of term paper for the course on "Environmental Laws and Policy".

1. Rivers of Bangladesh:
An Overview of
Status, Governance,
Policies and Law
Abdul Hadi Al Nafi Khan
&
Sabuj Chandra Biswas

2. Bangladesh
• Located between 20°34' to 26°38’ N and 88°01’ to
92°41’ E
• Downstream part of the GBM basin comprising
• Area of 147570 skm
• population of160 million

3. Rivers: the flowing blood of Bangladesh

4. Sorry tales of the rivers
Pollution, River encroachment, Sand lifting, Reduced upstream flow

5. River Pollution Status
• four major rivers of the capital Dhaka city
(Buriganga, Shitalakhya, Turag and Balu)
together receive daily 2 million m3 of
wastewater every day
• 7,000 industrial units on the banks of the
rivers
• untreated wastes from leather industries,
textiles industries, pharmaceuticals,
different chemical industries,
• Pollution by domestic wastes and sewer.
• Ecosystem of these rivers have nearly been
destroyed

6. River Pollution Status (contd.)

7. River Encroachment
and Land Grabbing
• Very few of the country's 700 rivers (small and big) and
their branches now remain completely free of the
grabbers' clutch.
• Local elites, businessmen and grabbers have claimed vast
areas of waterbodies
• Unloading dredgers are often seen to dump sands into the
river in broad daylight
• Building road/dam on Baulikhal river causing it to dry up
• Government agencies are sometimes found to construct
infrastructure in rivers place

8. Sand Lifting
• Alluvial rivers in Bangladesh are good sources of fine grade sand.
• Unplanned dredging is taking place in recent times in many of the rivers by both government
agencies and private sectors.
• occurrence of sand lifting and trading syndicates is rampant in remote areas.
• Even during the COVID-19 crisis, while the local administration was busy to deal with the
pandemic, some tricksters, with the support from local influential people

9. Laws, Policies
and
Implementation

10. Infrastructures in safeguarding water bodies of Bangladesh
National Water Resources Council (NWRC)
(Headed by Prime Minister of BD)
Executive Committee
Associated Departments and Institutions
* National River Conservation Commission (NRCC)
*Flood Forecasting and Warning Center (FFWE)
*Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA)
*Department of Environment (DoE)
*Planning Commission (PC)
*Department of Public Health and Engineering (DPHE)
*Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE)
*Local Government Engineering Department (LGED)
*Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA)
Ministry of Water Resources
(MoWR)
Centre for
Environmental
and
Geographic
Information
Services
(CEGIS)
Water
Resources
Planning
Organization
(WARPO)
Bangladesh
Water
Development
Board
(BWDB)
Joint River
Commission
(JRC)
River
Research
Institute
(RRI)
Bangladesh
Baor and
Wetland
Development
Board
(BBWDB)
Institute
of Water
Modelling
(IWM)

11. Planning and Management
of Rivers in Bangladesh
 Structural and Non-structural measurements
 Develop water resources of the rivers for
multipurpose uses
 De-silt water courses
 Delineate water stress area
 Protect water quality and its efficient use
 Develop and implement master plans to
control river bank erosion
 Maintain navigational capabilities

12. Policy in pollution Prevention
 DoE is the responsible body for monitoring the discharge of pollutants in rivers
 Industrial bodies generating wastewater should treat in ETP before releasing in
environment/ rivers.
 Fining 600 USD to 12000 USD for industrial pollution or imprisonment up to 2
years
 Enforcing polluters pay
 Meeting with industrial labors as awareness program
 Environment Conservation Act, 1995 and Water act 2013

13. Steps in Pollution
prevention
• Government has expressed its will several times, but still these
expectations are lacking integration.
• Laws exist, but not found in implementation
• Lack of manpower and knowledge in DoE (Department of
Environment)
• Minister helpless (powerful polluters)
• Tanneries shifted from Buriganga’s bank to Savar, without fully
functional CETP causing pollution of Dhaleswari and Bangshi
• MoI could play a substantial role in implementation by putting
tighter controls on wastewater quality and water use.

14. Laws and Policies to Protect
Rivers from encroachment
Laws
 No structure or land developements
near the river (Tenancy Act 1950)
 No unauthorized use the embankment
in the purpose of any construction.
Adopted Policy by GoB
 Stop unplanned constructions.
 Take necessary steps to remove all
existing unauthorized encroachments
on rivers.

15. Steps in escaping from
River Encroachment
• A list of 49,558 grabbers have been published by GoB
• High court has issued many orders in saving rivers
• High Court has announced the rivers as ‘Legal Person’
• Demolishing illegal structures near the river sides
• Land grabbers cannot run in election and get loan from
the bank
• Set up 8 special courts to accelerate the punishment for
land grabbers.
• NRCC has given 122 recommendations

16. Policy to Protect Rivers from
dredging, mining and sand
lifting
❑ River sand or soil cannot be extracted by pump or
dredging or any other means without permission.
❑ In case of extraction, dredging activities are subject
to take proper protection of the slope.
❑ Dredging cannot be done in the area where it may
result in erosion of a river bank and causes danger to
the aquatic animals and plants.
❖ Dredging, mining and sand lifting is strictly prohibited
in:
 Areas with irrigation structures
 Flood Control structures
 Drainage structures

17. Steps in Protesting Illegal
Sand Lifting
• Sand lifting occur with the involvements of politicians
• Mobile Courts also took some positive actions
• GoB ordered to all District Commissioners in taking
steps against illegal sand lifting
• Local villagers were found to take actions themselves
in some occasions

18. Transboundary
Rivers

19. Transboundary River Issue
• Bangladesh gets 92.5% of
the surface water from
outside of the country
• 58 transboundary rivers, 54
from India
• modification in the flow of
48 transboundary rivers by
India
• Farakka barrage was
operational in 1975

20. Transboundary river
(Contd.)
• Success in Ganges treaty (1996)
• For Teesta river, BD receives only 6%
of total dry period flow
• Teesta treaty is being showcased due
to unwillingness from Indian side
• Reduction of dry period flow
• Dying rivers
• Northern districts and the associated
agricultural practices as well as the
ecosystem are in massive threat

21. The 1996
Ganges
WaterTreaty
Signatory: Sheikh Hasina (Bangladesh) and Deve Gowda (India)
Validity: 30Years (1996-2026)
• The treaty would be open to either party to seek the first
review after two years to assess the impact and working of the
sharing arrangement as contained in the treaty.
• The quantum of water agreed to be released by India and
Bangladesh will be measured at Farakka.
• The sharing will be by ten-day periods from 1 January to 31
May every year.
• The sharing of water will be on a 50-50 basis if the availability
of water at Farakka is 70,000 cusecs or less.
• Bangladesh will get 35,000 cusecs of water if the availability at
Farakka is between 70,000 and 75,000 cusecs. In case of
availability of 75,000 cusecs or more, India will receive 40,000
cusecs and Bangladesh will receive the rest.

22. Follow up
of Ganges
Treaty

23. Conclusion and
Recommendation
• Coordination among water related organization is a must.
• More research required
• Involvements of experts in policy making.
• Stricter laws to be applied in freeing rivers from pollution
and encroachment
• Strengthening of DoE
• Inclusion of Ministry of Industry in environmental policy
making
• Dredging and/or sand mining should be controlled properly
• Government has to abide by laws and orders from High
Court.
• Mass awareness programs needed

24. Thanks for
your
Attention!