Living along a 'dead' river in Bangladesh
The Buriganga River is so polluted that its water appears pitch black, except during the monsoon months, and emits a foul stench through the year.
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A ferryman sleeps on his boat under a mosquito net on the Buriganga river in Dhaka, Bangladesh, last month. The Buriganga, or the 'Old Ganges', is so polluted that its water appears pitch black, and emits a foul stench throughout the year, reported Reuters. (Mohammad Ponir Hossain / Reuters)
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A view of dye-coloured water being discharged directly into the Buriganga river in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on March 6. In 1995, Bangladesh made it compulsory for all industrial units to use effluent treatment plants so as to keep pollution out of its rivers, but industries often flout the rule, reports Reuters. (Mohammad Ponir Hossain / Reuters)
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Buffaloes rest in the Bangshai river, upstream of the Buriganga river, in Tangail, Bangladesh. A recent survey by the River and Delta Research Center showed that pollution in the river water during the dry season was well above standard levels and it identified industrial sewage as the main culprit, reported Reuters. (Mohammad Ponir Hossain / Reuters)
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Factory workers wash and dry jeans in Dhaka, on April 8. Bangladesh is the world's second-biggest garment exporter after China but citizens and environment activists say the booming industry is also a major contributor to the ecological decline of the river, reports Reuters. (Mohammad Ponir Hossain / Reuters)
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