The Buriganga River has been a backbone of life for Dhaka and surrounding regions for centuries. From being central to trade, heritage, and daily routines to its deteriorating state, the story of Buriganga is one of both legacy and urgency. This article explores how Buriganga supported life over time, what challenges it faces now, the efforts underway, and what is required to restore its life-giving capacity.
Historical Roots and Cultural Significance
From early times, Buriganga has been more than a river—it shaped the geography, identity, and culture of old Dhaka. The river’s origin is tied to the Dhaleshwari, flowing near Kalatia and eventually joining near Fatulla. Mughal rulers picked Jahangirnagar (modern Dhaka) partly because of Buriganga’s location. Its waters allowed movement of goods, people, and ideas. Along its banks rose historic landmarks: Ahsan Manzil, Lalbagh Fort, Buckland Bund, and many ghats that became focal points for trade, social gatherings, and religious ceremonies. The name “Buriganga” itself, meaning “Old Ganges,” hints at its ancient connections to the Ganges river system and its importance in ancient geography and culture.
Buriganga also played a large role in daily life. People used its water for drinking, bathing, washing clothes, and irrigation. Fish and aquatic species thrived, supporting fishermen whose lives depended on seasonal patterns in Buriganga’s flow. Its wetlands and riverbanks provided ecosystem services: regulating floods, supporting groundwater recharge, and moderating local climate. All these made Buriganga indispensable to human settlements in and around Dhaka.
Economic Role Over Time
Through its course, Buriganga enabled trade and transport long before modern roads. Launches, steamers, and country boats carried goods—rice, jute, hides—and connected Dhaka with ports and markets. nFor many communities, the river was a source of livelihood: fishermen, boatmen, washerfolk, people collecting water plants or small-scale agriculture on its banks. The river also helped shape markets and settlements around its shores—places like Sadarghat became hubs because of Buriganga.
Moreover, Buriganga traditionally supplied freshwater during monsoon lean periods via tributaries, canals, and connected rivers. This supported domestic water needs, sanitation, and public health. Its flow helped flush silt and maintain navigability, which in turn kept trade viable. Without the river’s flow, many old trade routes and water-based transport would have been far less effective.
Environmental Importance
Buriganga’s wetlands and ecology provided many benefits: fish diversity, plant species along its banks, frogs and smaller aquatic organisms. Wetlands associated with the river moderated flooding in heavy rains by absorbing overflow. In dry periods, river and connected canals recharged groundwater, which supported wells and shallow aquifers. The river’s ecosystem supported livelihoods but also balanced the local climate.
Besides, Buriganga’s flow helped with sediment transport, which kept the riverbed from silting up and maintained navigability. Seasonal variation—higher flow in monsoon, lower in dry season—meant that the river could move debris, clean parts of itself naturally, and support flora and fauna adapted to cyclic conditions. Thus, the environmental health of Buriganga was tightly linked to human health.
Current Challenges and Decline
Despite its pivotal role, in recent decades Buriganga has suffered serious degradation. Rapid urbanization, uncontrolled industrialization, population growth, and weak regulation have combined to threaten its health.
One major issue is pollution. A recent report discovered over 250 untreated sewage pipelines discharging directly into Buriganga along just six kilometres—from Kamrangirchar to Farashganj. These account for about 30-40% of the river’s pollution. Industrial effluents, especially from dyeing, tanneries (notably in Hazaribagh), textile factories, also dump heavy metals, acids, and untreated toxic waste. Solid waste, plastics, polythene bags, and sludge also accumulate heavily.
Another problem is the loss of river flow, especially during dry spells. Without enough fresh inflow—and due to siltation, encroachment, and blockage of canals—the river’s capacity to self-clean, transport, or provide clean water decreases. Dissolved oxygen levels are falling, aquatic life is threatened, and many of the species that depended on Buriganga are disappearing. Encroachment of riverbanks, illegal constructions, dumping of construction debris, and narrowing of river paths compound the issue.
Recent Efforts in Restoration
Recognizing the crisis, authorities and local organizations have initiated several restoration and protection projects for Buriganga.
One of the central efforts is the Buriganga River Restoration Project (BRRP), aiming to channel fresh water from the Jamuna River into Buriganga via Turag, Bangshi, Pungli, and Dhaleshwari rivers during lean periods. This project also involves dredging to remove silt and re-establish flow capacity. However, funding and implementation have lagged behind plans. Some parts dredged are already accumulating silt again.
Another is the Dhaka rivers revive project which seeks to protect the banks, fence river edges with boundary pillars, demolish illegal structures, build walkways, jetties, eco-parks, and green belts. For example, about 5,500 border pillars have been installed out of 7,500 planned, and 25 km of a 52 km walkway completed along river banks around Dhaka. Parks and public spaces are also in being developed to bring people back to the riverbanks.
Public advocacy and community groups are raising awareness. Studies on microplastic contamination show just how severe the pollution is: dry season water had up to ~ 374.84 microplastics per liter in certain stretches of Buriganga. Heavy metals were found embedded in these particles, posing risks to human and ecological health.
What Needs to Be Done: A Path to Revival
To restore Buriganga’s capacity to support life as it once did, concerted and coordinated effort is essential. Here are major steps required:
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Strict Enforcement of Pollution Laws
Factories must either treat wastewater or be held accountable. Tanneries and dyeing units, especially those with high chromium or other heavy-metal loads, should adopt treatment plants and clean production methods. -
Upgrade and Expand Sewage Systems
Divert untreated sewage from pipelines directly discharging into Buriganga. Localized investment (e.g., diverting discharge to treatment plants) is essential. Municipal drains and khals should be cleaned and maintained. -
Dredging and Reconnecting Waterways
Regular dredging to remove silt and accumulation so that river flow is not blocked. Re-excavation of canals and tributaries to ensure fresh water flows into Buriganga, helping improve dissolved oxygen and reduce stagnation. -
Bank Protection and Removal of Encroachments
Boundary pillars, green belts, walkways along riverbanks discourage illegal grabbing of river land. Also demolish or relocate illegal structures. Reclaim wetlands and buffer zones to restore natural river width. -
Public Awareness and Community Participation
Engaging citizens, local groups, religious institutions to keep riverbanks clean, avoid dumping waste, practice civic responsibility. River festivals, clean-up drives, installing signage. -
Sustainable Urban Planning & Integration
Planning for Dhaka’s urban growth must include rivers as key environmental infrastructure. River corridors, green belts, floodplain protections, water transport options, and recreations to keep rivers alive. -
Adequate Funding and Transparent Monitoring
Projects like BRRP need proper and timely funding. Monitoring of water quality, microplastics, heavy metals should be made public. Regular reporting ensures accountability.
Conclusion
Buriganga has been central to life in Dhaka for centuries—providing water, transport, livelihoods, culture, and natural regulation of the environment. Over time, however, pollution, unplanned growth, and neglect have weakened its ability to support life. Restoration is both possible and urgent. If the legal, social, environmental, and technical measures are carefully implemented, Buriganga can once again be more than a river remembered in history—it can regain its role as a living artery of Dhaka.