It is most unfortunate that different powerful quarters, including politicians and lawmakers, have been continuously grabbing our rivers and waterbodies despite several directives given by the High Court and demand by environmentalists as well as the common people of the country to save them. Reportedly, a bridge was built on Dhaleshwari river in Savar recently which is harming the river, as huge sediments are accumulating on both sides of the riverbank because of road construction on both sides of the bridge. This has also created scope for land grabbing by unscrupulous people.On December 1, The Daily Star reported how a ruling party MP filled up more than 54 acres from the Buriganga river and wetland to construct a power plant and a private economic zone in Basila, creating obstacles to the water flow of the river, which is a clear violation of the Water Act. A probe led by the National River Conservation Commission (NRCC) revealed these illegal activities. The commission's chairman also said recently that no structure can be set up on land along rivers and if anyone tries to harm the rivers, they will take strict action.

While it is reassuring to see the NRCC's determination in saving our rivers from powerful grabbers, the fact is that the commission alone cannot do it if other government agencies do not take responsibility and play their part. All the government agencies concerned, including the BIWTA and Bangladesh Water Development Board, should work together and the NRCC should take the lead role in coordinating and monitoring their work. The commission should not only make recommendations but should also have the power to take action against the grabbers. Moreover, they should demarcate all our rivers with help from other authorities concerned.

In 2009, the High Court gave a landmark verdict and put in details the measures that should be taken to recover our ailing rivers from land grabbers and save them from pollution. It gave directives to measure the river areas based on the Cadastral Survey (CS) record. In 2019, the High Court declared the National River Conservation Commission the legal guardian of all the rivers of the country and ordered the government to amend the National River Conservation Commission (NRCC) law and incorporate stringent provisions for imprisonment and hefty fines for the offence of river grabbing and to effectively empower the NRCC. Sadly, we are yet to implement the court directives in this regard.

Nevertheless, we believe that with proper plans and policies in place and coordination from all the authorities concerned, the NRCC can, in fact, play the role of the guardian of our rivers and save them from grabbers and polluters.