Buriganga River Carnival - WATERKEEPERS BANGLADESH

October 25, 2022
admin

Hundreds of people participated in the colorful event ‘Buriganga River Carnival: In Pursuit of Pollution Free River’ with the slogan “Pollution-free Buriganga is the demand of Dhaka residents” on Saturday 10 September 2022. Buriganga River Coalition and Waterkeepers Bangladesh Consortium jointly organized the event at Kamrangirchar of Dhaka. Government officials, political leaders, local elected bodies, community people, and CBOs attended the event. The event was organized in two segments, i.e., the inauguration session held from 10:30 am to 12:00 pm and the colorful boat rally from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm. Before the main event, community people with colorful processions organized by CBOs joined the event in the morning. People protested against river pollution with hundreds of festoons and placards with different messages.

The inaugural of the carnival was held at Muslimbagh Tower Math adjacent to Thoda Gudara Ghat. Former adviser of Bangladesh caretaker government and eminent human rights activist Sultana Kamal presided over the event. Advocate Qamrul Islam, Honorable Member of Parliament of Dhaka-2 was present at the event as a guest of honour. Five Ward Councilors of Dhaka South City Corporation were present at the occasion and expressed their solidarity to protect the river from pollution. They are Mr. Saidul Islam Madbor (ward no 57), Ms. Shefali Begum (female councilors 55,56 and 57), Mr. Mokaddes Hossain Zahid (ward 24), Mr. Mohammad Hossain (ward 56) and Mr. Nure E Alam Chowdhury (ward 55).

Ms. Kristin McCare, Director, Office of Democracy, Human Rights and Governance, USAID Bangladesh; Mr. Humayun Kabir, General Secretary, Bangladesh Awami League, Dhaka City South; and Mr. Md. Rokibul Islam Talukder, Chief Engineer Dredging, Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) attended the Buriganga River Carnival as special guests.

Sharif Jamil, Lead of Waterkeepers Bangladesh Consortium moderated the inaugural session and provided a brief overview and introduction to the Buriganga River Carnival. Mr. Mainuddin Ahamed, Chief of Party, PAR, Counterpart International; Mr. Md. Shahidullah, Joint-Director, Dhaka Port, BIWTA; Mr. Md. Monir Hossain, Environmental Expert, National River Conservation Commission (NRCC) and Mr. K N Roy Neyoti, Assistant Commissioner, Lalgagh Zone, Dhaka Metropolitan Police delivered a speech during the inaugural session of the event. Professor Ahmad Kamruzzama Majumder, Dean of Environmental Science, Stamford University Bangladesh provided the vote of thanks on behalf of the organizers of the event.

Participants of the Buriganga River Carnival attended a boat rally with about a hundred decorated boats cruised on the Buriganga River from Thoda Gudara Ghat to Babubazar Bridge, Babubazar Bridge to Kholamora Ghat, and from Kholamora Ghat to Thoda Ghat. Colorful festoons, event t-shirts, and caps made the carnival festive and colorful. Female participants were provided with a special Saree to participate in the event, which made the event more colorful. The Buriganga River Carnival has been covered by print and electronic media with high importance. Prominent national dailies including the Daily Prothom Alo published photos and stories on its cover page.

Photographs: