Staff Reporter:
The government has taken a move to amend the “National River Conservation Commission Act, 2013.”
The provision for establishing separate river courts will be included in the law, said Shipping Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam.
He said these in response to a tabled question by opposition MP Md Kamrul Hasan of Mymensingh-6 in the Jatiya Sangsad on Thursday.
The minister said that the process of amending the National River Conservation Commission Act is currently underway to strengthen river protection and enhance the commission’s institutional capacity.
Under the proposed amendments, river encroachment and pollution will be treated as criminal offences. The draft law also includes provisions for establishing separate river courts, investigating complaints related to river encroachment, assessing and recovering compensation for pollution-related damages, and filing and monitoring legal cases concerning river protection.
The minister also informed the House that Bangladesh has a total of 1,415 rivers according to a list prepared jointly by the Ministry of Shipping, the Ministry of Water Resources, the National River Conservation Commission (NRCC), the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB), divisional commissioners, district administrations and river activists.
The minister said that the list was published on 14 April 2025 on the websites of the Ministry of Water Resources, the Bangladesh Water Development Board and the National River Conservation Commission.
