Adviser on Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and Water Resources, Syeda Rizwana Hasan, has said that government initiatives alone are not enough to save the Shitalakkhya River. She emphasized that restoring the river’s natural beauty and preventing pollution will require the collective effort of all stakeholders.
“The government cannot do this alone. To free the Shitalakkhya River from pollution and bring back its natural splendor, everyone must work together,” she said while speaking as the chief guest at a day-long inspirational gathering of river and environmental activists. The event, themed “Save the River, Save Life,” was held on Saturday at Dhadha Char in Kapasia, Gazipur.
The festive river event carried strong messages of awareness and unity. “To save the Shitalakkhya River, we must act now,” Rizwana Hasan urged.
She pointed out that industrial waste from the Narayanganj and Gazipur areas has caused severe pollution in the Shitalakkhya River. “This pollution is not only killing aquatic life but also gravely disturbing the ecological balance of the surrounding environment,” she warned.
Underscoring the importance of local community involvement and collaboration among environmental activists, the adviser said, “If we can stop river pollution, aquatic species will thrive freely. When rivers live, the environment survives. A living river will regain its natural flow.”
Among others present at the event were Nayoka Martinez Beckström, First Secretary and Head of Climate Change and Environment at the Embassy of Sweden; Sulaiman Haydar, Director of the Department of Environment; Mobashwer Hossain, Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Water Resources; A.K.M. Arif Uddin, Director of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA); Alamgir Kabir, General Secretary of Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA); and Monir Hossain, Chairman of the Bangladesh River Foundation.
