Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Section:20
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Submitted to:
Instructor: Aurchie Rahman, Lecturer
Department of Biology & Chemistry
Submitted date:22-03-2016
concerns over this issue time and again and they are trying their level best to get the
governments as well as the publics attention.The following discussion is to give the
readers a little prospective of this situation.There are six rivers located around the
capita.Buriganga is the main with Turag canal,balu and Shitalakshya,These rivers are
surrounding Dhaka(Including Naraynganj city) in a circular path termed as circular water
way.This path covers a length of almost 110 k.m.Hardly any city in the world has this
privilege of having a water way like Dhaka.This makes this city unique and
phenomenal.Having read this one would imagine this city to be a paradise full of
beauty.In reality this is about to beome impossible to live in because of its rivers choked
with wastes and the toxic air which causes many of the people to be sick.
Around Dhaka, river water has altered from its natural state in terms of physical, chemical
and microbiological composition and lost its suitability for any safe and beneficial use. The
signs of contamination have become obvious through bad taste, offensive odours, unchecked
growth of aquatic weeds, and decrease in the number of aquatic animals, floating of oil and
grease, colouration of water and so on. Generally, rivers surrounding Dhaka are being
polluted by the discharge of untreated industrial effluent, urban wastewater, agrochemicals,
sewage water, storm runoff, solid waste dumping, oil spillage, sedimentation and also
encroachment.
Over the last couple of decades major industrialisation has been observed in Dhaka,
especially in dyeing, washing and textiles sectors. Estimation reveals that there are over
7,000 industries in Dhaka metropolitan area located mostly in three clusters, namely,
Hazaribagh, Tejgaon, and Dhaka- Narayanganj- Demra dam area. However, among all these
the dyeing factories and tanneries are the main polluters of the rivers. Waste from these
industries is usually connected to the sewerage system that directly follows to the rivers
around the city. As a matter of fact, the rivers have become a dumping ground of all kinds of
solid,
liquid
and
other
chemical
waste.
Dhaka city has been growing without much of plan and the city lacks systematic waste
management system as well. Dhaka generates around 0.4 to 0.7 kilograms of solid waste per
capita per day but the Dhaka City Corporation (DCC), the main agency responsible for
collection, transportation and disposal of the waste cannot manage the task properly with its
existing limited logistics. The per capita waste collected in Dhaka per day is 0.2 kilograms.
The waste which is not managed by the DCC is dumped into the rivers by the people living
near
the
river
banks.
The rivers, which perform the task of natural drainage for the city are also being polluted as
rain water sweeps into them all the waste dumped here and there of the city. Furthermore,
liquid waste produced in the city is being poured in the rivers untreated. Of the discharged
untreated liquid waste, 61 percent is industrial and 39 percent domestic. However, the lone
Sewerage Treatment Plant (SWP) situated in Pagla of Narayanganj can treat only 10 percent
of the industrial waste. Moreover, Dhaka WASA utilizes the existing canals and sewerage
pipes to collect waste water from different residential areas and depose, most of it, into
surrounding rivers without any treatment. Apart from domestic and industrial waste, oil and
other chemicals which are spilled into the rivers from launches, steamers, and trawlers are
also polluting river water. Besides in Dhaka contamination of water is occurring from human
excreta as well, as 70 percent of the population of the city does not have access to improved
sanitation
facilities.
Encroachment on rivers is a common practice in Bangladesh. Most of the natural drainages
of Dhaka City disappeared or are in way to due to illegal encroachment. Encroachment on
the rivers through unauthorized construction and dumping of solid waste in clearence of
regulations to prevent encroachment making it difficult to drain out the runoff and the
pollutants i.e., added particles remaining in the rivers keep polluting the environment.
Polluted water of Buriganga, Turag, Dhaleshwari, Balu, and Narai flowing around the greater
Dhaka city is posing serious threats to public life as it is unfit for human use (Institute for
Environment and Development Studies, 2003). People living near the rivers, having no other
alternative, are forced to use polluted river water. Some also use the water because they are
unaware of the health risks. This causes spread of water borne and skin diseases. Solid waste
and different effluents dumped into the rivers make it difficult for fishes and other subaquatic organisms to live. When solid waste and effluents run into the river, the Biological
Oxygen Demand (BOD) in the water rises, creating oxygen crisis for the sub aqueous life. As
the dissolved oxygen (DO) content of the river water is decreased below the critical level of
four milligrams per liter it is posing threats to bio-diversity in and around the rivers.
Pollution is so severe in the Buriganga, Shitalakhya and Balu rivers that it is almost
impossible to treat the water for making it suitable for human use. The Water and Sewerage
Authority (WASA) is supplying stinky water purified by chlorine and ammonia sulfate.
Moreover, due to river encroachment and dumping of solid waste into the rivers the rivers are
loosing their natural flow. Thus, the waterways are shrinking and the alternative way of
communication around Dhaka city through rivers turned unsuccessful.
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There are
several sources of water pollution, which work together to reduce overall
river water
quality. Industries discharge their liquid waste products into rivers. Our
agriculture practice that uses chemical fertilizers and pesticides also contribute to river
pollution as rainwater drains these chemicals into the rivers. Domestic wastes that we
throw into rivers adds to pollution levels. As population grows, the size of towns and
cities also grows. With that the amount of domestic wastes that we throw into river
increases. In most of the towns and cities, the municipal drains carry our wastes to rivers.
There are examples of rivers catching fire because of high pollution levels. This shows
how seriously polluted our rivers are. In our everyday life we can easily see symptoms of
river pollution.
The floating dead fishes in our river, any coloured water in the river, or a bad smell from
the river point towards river pollution. If you see or feel any of these things in a
river be sure that the river is a victim of pollution. River pollution can be due to the
causes below:
#acid rain:
Rain falling through polluted air absorbs some of the pollutants. Polluted air contains
many poisonous gases such as sulphur di-oxide (SO2), oxide of nitrogen (NOx)
etc. that
react with rainwater to form acids. We call this acid rain. On reaching the ground
the
acidic rain water has many effects. It can release harmful substances such as
aluminium
and heavy metals from the soil.These are normally present chemicals or
liquid manure
enter rivers, the amount of oxygen in the water reduces. Without
sufficient oxygen no
life form can survive in a water body. It also permanently changes
the nature of river.
#Oil Pollution:
Careless people can also pollute rivers and harm wildlife by pouring things like used car
oil and paint into drains. If oil enters a slow-moving river it forms a rainbow-coloured
film over the entire surface preventing oxygen from entering the water. As mentioned
above, without oxygen the river is biologically dead.
# Industrial pollution:
Lot of industrial wastes discharged into water are mixtures of chemicals, which are
difficult to clean up. Increase of the heavy metals in industrial waste water that
drains into rivers has resulted in severe river pollution. Some industrial wastes are so toxic
that if they are not immediately and strictly controlled then it will become
very
expensive later to deal with. Some industries try to cut the costs of safety measures by
illegally dumping chemicals at places where they think they will not be caught. These
dumped wastes then runs off into river alongwith rain water.
treat this water conventionally and make it ready for supply.In dry season the amount of
oxygen is too less and the amount of BOD is too high than the necessary rate in these two
rivers.This makes the water nothing but poison which is nearly impossible to be used for
supply.Astonishingly,the water is being delivered to the citizens of Dhaka every day.
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that will not allow the polluted water to mix with river
water.
Hopefully the Government will weigh in all of its options and work together with the
people to once again make Dhaka city free from pollution and to create a safe water
supply system for the citizens.
#At Home:
Never dump used motor oil, paint or household chemicals on the ground or in a
storm drain.
Don't pour household chemicals down the sink or flush them down the toilet.
Use non-toxic alternatives to home cleaning chemicals.
Don't buy more of a household cleaner or other chemical than you need for the
job.
Read and follow directions on the use of household chemicals and disposal of
containers.
Sweep driveways and patios clean instead hosing them down.
Check for leaky faucets and turn off the water when brushing teeth to conserve
water.
Pre-cycle. Buy products with less packaging and keep your recycling and refuse
bucket lids closed.
Pick up pet waste and put it in the garbage can or flush it down the toilet.
Talking to our family and friends for spreading awareness on the importance of good water quality and clean
rivers
#In My Yard:
Preserve established trees in my yard and neighborhood.
Don't overuse fertilizers and pesticides.
Plant trees, shrubs and ground covers that filter pollutants and reduce stormwater
runoff.
I don't cut my grass too short. Adjust my lawnmower to the proper height to
reduce runoff from lawns, and evaporation before infiltration.
Plant native vegetation and choose plants that require little or no fertilizer.
When i water my plants and lawn, make sure water doesn't wash over streets and
sidewalks.
Recycle yard debris, or use it to make compost, instead of raking it into streets
where it can wash into storm sewers.
Use compost or mulch to hold moisture in the soil and control weeds.
#My Car:
I drive my car less to reduce automotive fluid leaks on roadways.
Got drips?I Use kitty litter or other absorbent material to pick up drips before rain
washes them into the storm drain and river.
Recycle used motor oil at appropriate business locations for hazardous waste pick
ups.
When I wash my car, park it on the grass instead of on the street or driveway.
#My Boat: