Isn't Padma Bridge harming the river, asks Farida Akhtar

Fisheries and Livestock Adviser Farida Akhtar has raised the question whether building bridges over rivers in the name of development is actually harmful or not.

She said: "The Padma Bridge has been built today, but isn't it harming the Padma River?"

"Jamuna River has already been damaged. Now it is being heard again that plans are underway to build a bridge over the Arial Khan River on the way from Barisal to Bhola. In this way, the rivers are being destroyed, which is in no way fair," she added.

She made the remarks as the chief guest at the closing and award distribution ceremony of the '6th Interfaith Harmony Debate Festival 2025' organized at the Muzaffar Ahmed Chowdhury Auditorium of Dhaka University on Tuesday (May 13) afternoon.

Farida Akhtar said: “The river is drying up, disappearing, getting polluted—all these are injustices. If you go to Bhola or Barisal by launch, it becomes difficult to sit in the stench of Buriganga while crossing Dhaka. Yet, the people of that area live in this situation every day. The water pollution and biodiversity of the river are being destroyed."

"The youth have to take responsibility in this regard—they have to be active in protecting the river and its life flow. Because, the river is not only a source of natural beauty, it is also associated with the existence of countless lives.”

The programme was presided over by Asma Sultana Liza, President of the World Religions Debating Club of Dhaka University, and moderated by Nuruddin Muhammad, General Secretary of the club.

Present were the university’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) Saima Haque Bidisha, river researcher and writer Sheikh Rokon, Chairman of the Department of World Religions and Culture Professor Dr. Md. Abu Sayem, Director of the Center for Interreligious and Cultural Dialogue Professor Dr. Mohammad Ilias and Associate Professor of History Department Dr. Shahidul Hasan among others.

A total of 32 debate teams from different universities of the country participated in the debate festival.

Faculty of Veterinary Science of Bangladesh Agricultural University team came up as the champion and the runner-up was the team from the Law Department of Dhaka University.