Newly elected Member of Parliament Barrister Syed Sayedul Haque Sumon, along with his associates and 600 volunteers from BD Clean, has launched a program to clean water hyacinth and waste from the Khowai River on Friday (19 January).
The cleaning journey commenced at 9 am, and they successfully cleared almost half a kilometer of the river from water hyacinth by working until 4 pm.
Six hundred volunteers from BD Clean traveled to Habiganj to participate in the cleaning event. Chunarughat municipality mayor Saiful Islam also joined the event with the municipality cleaners.
The Old Khowai River, flowing through Habiganj, Sylhet, has been gradually deteriorating for nearly a decade. Once 250 to 300 feet wide, it served as a lifeline for the district. However, it has now narrowed down to 20 feet in some places due to the presence of over 2,000 illegal establishments by both individuals and public authorities. Additionally, the continuous dumping of waste has left little room for the river to breathe, let alone provide a livelihood for fishermen.
After being elected as a Member of Parliament, Sayedul Haque Sumon, in his first speech to the people, announced that he would launch his social activism journey by cleaning water hyacinth from the old Khowai.
Barrister Sumon told the media, "After I was elected, I promised the locals that I would clear the debris from the Old Khowai River and arrange for boat movement again. The first phase of this work started today, and the continuation of this effort will persist until the river is completely free of pollution."
