The High Court yesterday instructed the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority to establish a monitoring committee tasked with taking effective measures to stop factories from discharging waste into the Shitalakkhya River, and to submit a compliance report within two weeks.The Department of Environment and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change have been directed by the court, in response to a writ petition, to jointly form a committee to evaluate the extent of pollution in the river and determine the financial cost of the damage.
The court also asked concerned government authorities to explain why no action should be taken against the establishments responsible for contaminating the Shitalakkhya River in Narayanganj, and why they should not be directed to compensate for the environmental damage caused. The High Court bench comprising Justice Fahmida Quader and Justice Mubina Asaf issued the order and rule following a writ petition filed by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh.
