“Not a Single River Left Untouched by Encroachment or Pollution”

Professor Dr Mohammad Jahirul Haque, Vice-Chancellor of Metropolitan University and central lifetime member of Dhara – Protectors of the Earth, has expressed deep concern over the dire state of rivers in Bangladesh.

Speaking at a discussion organised to mark World Rivers Day 2025, he remarked: “Bangladesh is a riverine country. Yet the injustices and atrocities committed against our rivers surpass all bounds of barbarity. Without rivers, Bangladesh cannot be imagined. But everything possible is being done to erase their existence. Although there is consensus about encroachment and pollution, very few speak about conservation. In Sylhet alone, nearly 250 rivers exist, and each of them faces severe crisis. We cannot name even a single river that has not fallen victim to either encroachment or pollution. For our very survival, these rivers must be preserved.”

The event was jointly organised on 28 September by Surma River Waterkeeper and Dhara, Sylhet Chapter, held in a hall room of a Sylhet restaurant. The discussion carried the theme: “Our Rivers, Our Existence”.

The meeting, chaired by Abdul Karim Kim, Surma River Waterkeeper, featured a panel discussion titled “Excavation of the Surma River and Conservation of Sylhet’s Rivers”.

Special Speakers:

• Dipak Ranjan Das – Executive Engineer, Water Development Board, Sylhet
• Shamsul Bashit Shero – Cultural Organiser
• Professor Dr Ali Wakkas Sohel – Department of Social Work, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology

Other Participants Included:

• Engineer Mahmudur Rahman Chowdhury
• Supreme Court Lawyer Golam Sobhan Chowdhury
• Social Activist Arup Shyam Bappi
• Rezaul Kibria
• Md Tanvir Islam, Sub-Divisional Engineer, Water Development Board
• Sajal Kanti Sarkar, Chairman, Haor Culture Study and Research Academy
• Publisher Rajib Chowdhury
• Sohag Tajul Amin
• Faruk Ahmed Moni
• Shamsul Alam Zakaria
• Theatre Activist Nahid Parvez Babu
• Tanjina Begum, President, Democratic Students’ Council, Sylhet Metropolitan
• Ayesha Akhter, General Secretary, Democratic Students’ Council, Sylhet Metropolitan

Speakers collectively emphasised the urgent need for intervention to save Sylhet’s rivers. Key demands included:

Concerns Highlighted

• Most rivers in Sylhet have already suffered siltation and pollution.
• The bed of the Surma River is filled with waste, particularly plastics and polythene, clearly visible during the dry season.
• Uncontrolled sand extraction has further destabilised river ecosystems.

The speakers urged the government to take science-based, effective measures immediately, beginning with the excavation of the Surma River in the coming dry season.