F E AT U R E
1. River Buriganga © Sabiha Haque
Sustenance in the shadows of the River Buriganga The people of Dhaka have always been challenged in their interaction with the River Buriganga in Bengal. Here, landscape architect Sabiha Haque provides three vignettes offering insights into the city’s relationship with the river, as it tries to maintain supplies of food and water in a place with increased pollution and restricted access. Sabiha Haque
¹ Vhistii is a community of people who transport water in leather vessels to Dhaka residents. Muntasir Mamun Dhaka Shamogro. ² Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority: Performance and Challenges. ³ https:// en.banglapedia. org/index.php/ Kamrangirchar_Thana
Around 1610 AD a trade hub grew by the River Buriganga in Bengal. Buriganga, which is sometimes also known as Gangaburi, has a romantic past, with those living nearby depending on it for food, water, transport, and bathing. However, it has continuously suffered abuse from sewage outfalls, industrial waste, and much more. Today it continues to offer people entertainment, navigation, and food despite high pollution levels. This struggle is not unique to Buriganga, with communities
worldwide facing similar predicaments. The Buriganga River spans 27 kilometres. This article focuses on the Buriganga channel between Kamrangir Char on the east bank of the river, and Kholamora, Keraniganj, on the West. Kamrangir Char is densely populated, with over 143,000 residents. The study examined about 4.8 kilometres of both riverbanks. Drinking water Until 1874, Dhaka people relied directly on rivers, ponds, and wells for sources of drinking water to be transported by the Vhistii¹ community, who transported water from the river in leather vessels. In an 1869 report it was mentioned that water became unsuitable to drink from the available water sources. Following this problem, in the year 1874, Nabab Khaja Abdul Ghani established a water treatment plant in Chadnighat, Dhaka.²
The Chandnighat water treatment plant drew water from the Buriganga channel. After the upgrade of the plant in 1997, an independent evaluation in 2003 showed that additional conduit pipes boosted the supply capacity of the water treatment plant but the quantity of water consumption and supply had fallen during dry periods due to the lower water level. Therefore, despite having the river and surface water treatment plant that could supply clean water, it is no longer working well, and people have to use alternative sources for drinking water. Kamrangir Char falls in the Padma North West distribution sector and will eventually be supplied by 450 MLD of fresh water from the River Padma. Until then the community near Kamrangir Char will have to be reliant on groundwater extraction or purchasing bottled water. Almost 96% of people use tube wells.³ 35
