He said this while speaking as the chief guest at an event titled ‘High Level Event on Bangladesh Rivers Pollution Control, Conservation and Management of the Rivers Surrounding Capital Dhaka’, organised by Team European Union in Gulshan, the capital, on Thursday.

The minister said keeping the rivers around Dhaka, including Buriganga, Turag, Balu, Shitalakshya and Dhaleshwari, free from pollution and encroachment is an important priority of the government. All relevant agencies must play a responsible role in stopping the dumping of industrial waste, sewage and solid waste into rivers.

He said controlling river pollution is not possible for any single ministry or agency. Relevant institutions, including Water Resources, Environment, Shipping, Local Government, City Corporations, Industries and RAJUK, must work in coordination. At the same time, people living along riverbanks, industrial establishments and civil society must also be responsible.

The Water Resources Minister said if the natural flow of rivers is obstructed, waterlogging, environmental imbalance and public suffering increase. Therefore, water flow must be kept active by conserving canals and reservoirs connected to rivers, restoring river-canal connections and dredging and re-dredging as needed.

At the event, Asian Development Bank Country Director Kingfeng Zhang, European Union Minister Counsellor and Head of Development Cooperation Michal Krejza, French Ambassador Jean-Marc Séré-Charlet, Netherlands Ambassador Joris van Bommel and others concerned spoke.