Hundreds of dingy boats help thousands of commuters cross the River Buriganga back and forth everyday from Old Dhaka to Kamrangir Chor and keraniganj.

River Buriganga, one of the most important and major rivers in Bangladesh, is now severely polluted. The river is Dhaka's main outlet of sewage waste. Up to 80% of Dhaka's sewage is released into the river untreated. According to the Environment Department, along with sewage from Dhaka, up to 40,000 tons of tannery waste flows into the river daily. Water is now thick like glue and literally black in colour due to pollution. However, people who live on the bank of the river continue to use this water to bath, wash cloths and dirty dishes. Buriganga has become a major source of all sorts of water borne diseases in Bangladesh.

Across the river at Jhaochar Noori Begum, a mother of five makes two 30-minute trips to fetch water for the household everyday.
“This is how the poor have to live,” she says. “The river water is not fit for drinking and water from my tube well has a foul smell.

“I used to catch fish in the Buriganga and made a decent living,” says Zohur, Noori’s husband. “Look at my skin now, I have a strange disease caused by touching the river water,” he adds.

Hundreds of dingy boats help thousands of commuters cross the River Buriganga back and forth everyday from Old Dhaka to Kamrangir Chor and keraniganj.

River Buriganga, one of the most important and major rivers in Bangladesh, is now severely polluted. The river is Dhaka's main outlet of sewage waste. Up to 80% of Dhaka's sewage is released into the river untreated. According to the Environment Department, along with sewage from Dhaka, up to 40,000 tons of tannery waste flows into the river daily. Water is now thick like glue and literally black in colour due to pollution. However, people who live on the bank of the river continue to use this water to bath, wash cloths and dirty dishes. Buriganga has become a major source of all sorts of water borne diseases in Bangladesh.

Across the river at Jhaochar Noori Begum, a mother of five makes two 30-minute trips to fetch water for the household everyday.
“This is how the poor have to live,” she says. “The river water is not fit for drinking and water from my tube well has a foul smell.

“I used to catch fish in the Buriganga and made a decent living,” says Zohur, Noori’s husband. “Look at my skin now, I have a strange disease caused by touching the river water,” he adds.