The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

The temperature of Dhaka city remains 1.5 times higher than that of other cities in the country as its surrounding rivers have been choked with garbage and toxic wastes, speakers said at a discussion meeting in the capital yesterday.

The dumping of garbage and toxic wastes everyday into the river Buriganga and other rivers flowing around the capital has virtually turned them into ' dustbin', they noted.

The discussion meeting on "Our immediate duty to save Buringanga and other rivers" was jointly organised by Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon (BAPA), Buriganga Bachao Andolon and Puran Dhaka Paribesh Unnayan Forum at the Dr. Shahidullah College auditorium at Bakshibazar.

Among others, Abdul Alim, principal, Dt.Shahidullah College, Md Mahbubuzzaman, member of governing body of the college and Mihir Bishwas, joint secretary, BAPA, Tusar Rehman of BAPA took part in the discussion.

Mihir Bishwas said temperature around the Dhaka University Campus and the Ramna Park area is relatively lower because of many trees. The temperature in the entire capital would come down if trees are grown in a large number along the Buriganga and other rivers, he opined.

He pointed out that the industrial units are dumping toxic effluents and dwelling houses household wastes into the rivers regularly and thus polluting the water alarmingly. The

Government should take measures to stop these practices, which are posing a serious threat to public health, he added.

He also pleaded for dismantling all illegal structures along the rivers for saving our environment. The sooner it is done, the better, he added Tusar laid importance on containing the population explosion saying that rapid growth of population was responsible for occupation of lands, river banks and rivers illegally and degradation of our environment.