The High Court in Bangladesh has ordered the closure of 25 factories and two private hospitals along the banks of river Buriganga in Dhaka. The factories and hospitals have been operating without environmental clearance. The HC has ordered the Department of Environment to execute its order within 15 days.
The court has also asked the of Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (WASA) to explain why action should not be taken against it for supplying wrong information to the court that no sewage line is connected to the river Buriganga.
The WASA had informed the HC recently that no sewage line is connected to the river Buriganga but Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) in its report said that several sewage lines were connected to the river.
According to a study conducted by the World Bank, 1.5 million cubic meters of wastewater is dumped into the four major rivers of Dhaka namely Buriganga, Shitalakhya, Turag and Balu from 7,000 industrial units in the surrounding areas.
Buriganga is one of the most polluted rivers in the world. Some experts refer to it as the largest sewer in the world. Uncontrolled dumping of human and industrial waste and encroachment has made the river biologically dead. (AIR NEWS)