Buriganga River

Sadarghat port on the Buriganga River, Dhaka city

The Buriganga River (Bangla: বুড়িগঙ্গা Buŗigônga) (old Ganges)is the main river flowing beside Dhaka city, capital of Bangladesh.

History

In the distant past, a course of the Ganges river used to reach the Bay of Bengal through the Dhaleshwari river. This course gradually shifted and ultimately lost its link with the main channel of the Ganges and was renamed as the Buriganga. It is said that the water levels during high and low tides in this river astonished the Mughals.

Economic significance

The Buriganga is economically very important to Dhaka. Launches and Country Boats provide connection to the other parts of Bangladesh, a largely riverine country. Due to siltation, large steamers can no longer go through the river channel in the dry season. In 1989, a bridge (the Bangladesh-China Friendship Bridge) was built over the river for vehicles and pedestrians. In 2001, a second bridge over the river was built at Babubazar for vehicles and pedestrians.

Problems

The Buriganga is threatened by pollution and possession.

• Pollution: Unfortunately, the river is Dhaka's main outlet of sewage waste. Recent (2004) newspaper articles indicated that up to 80% of Dhaka's sewage was untreated. A number of industries, including tanneries also discharge their chemical waste in to the river.

Waterflow in the Buriganga is low except during the monsoon season. During this flood period the river is "flushed" every year. It gets progressively worse until the next monsoons. Miraculously, when the water quality is not at its worst, River dolphins can still be seen. The Ganges River Dolphin (see Ganges_and_Indus_River_Dolphin) is on IUCN's Red List of Threatened Species.

• Possession: Land grabbing is a serious issue in Dhaka. The Buriganga is also a casualty. River land is "reclaimed" and built upon. This river bed loss of course means a narrower river bed which exacerbates flooding.

In an effort to reduce flooding, the river is often dredged. Ironically, this results in the branching rivers and canals to dry up, which are subjected to further land grabbing.

Organisations like Buriganga Bachu Andolan (Save Buriganga) have sprung up to address these issues.