Abstract:
Over the last few decades environment and its pollution is the governing concern for the
human being in this planet. People become conscious about the changing of their
surrounding. Global warming, Acid rain are now very familiar to us. Still lot of work to
be done for mass people awareness, which is very crucial for the eountry Iike ours.
People here arc so uneducated thnt few of them nrc conscious nbollt the environment and
its changing. But environment is degraded by day by day the weight of over crowed
people. One of such example is the Buriganga River. I3uriganga River which
encompasses south-western periphery of Dhaka city receives uncontrolled discharge of
pollution, solid waste, sewage and wastewaters discharged from domestic, commercial
and industrial activities of the city. These waste materials are tremendously deteriorating
thc water quality of the Buriganga River. The contamination level reaches at such an
alarming stage during dry periods that not only the ecosystem in the river collapse but
also the water treatment plants of the city water supply system developed based on the
rivcr water, virtually losses their expected quality of production. Hence of restore the
waleI' quality of the Buriganga is crucial for its sustainability. This study on Buriganga is
approaches to restore water quality of this river, which includes possible remedial
measures to prohibit of water pollution such as physical, chemical and biological
pollution of the river.
This study has focuscd on the present scenario of water quality, historical trend of water
quality and perccnt increase of BOD loading. Data of water quality analysis in biological
and chemical parameters are presented, analyzed in tabular and graphical form in this
study. It is vivid the water pollution increased tremendously over the last few decades
and the river Buriganga is going to be a cannel carrying polluted water. The crosssectional
area, depth reduces by tilling waste loads day by day and some where increases
by unplanned dredging. Shrinking of river bed is found due to the heavy BOD load,
sedimentation and bank encroachment. From 1968 to 2007 maximum BODs of the rivcr
at Ilazaribagh area increases from 0.8 to 60 mg/I and DO reaches 6.7 mg/I to zero in
most places. BOD loading from industrial origin has increased at all industrial clusters
from 1994 to 2006. The increase of BOD load is 37% in Tongi, 82 % in Hazaribagh, and
87% in Narayanganj.
Formulation of different types of approaches and management programs is very essential
and important in order to restore the water quality of the Buriganga River. As Hazaribagh
tanneries are responsible for causing a major pollution in the Buriganga river by the
contribution of toxic and persistent pollutants, an' Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) should
be established to treat the tannery waste or Tannery industries should be shifted.
Moreover, proper treatments of domestic and industrial wastes are needed before
discharge in the Buriganga. Proper solid waste management of the area is to be handled
properly. Proper dredging and eviction of encroachers are emphasized to improve the
water quality of the Buriganga river.
