Dr Usha wades into the Bhairab to bring back the sky's reflection, and Jashore joins her

Look into the water of the Bhairab river that flows through the heart of Jashore, and you cannot see your own reflection, or the sky's. Waste from factories, homes, restaurants and hospitals has turned its water pitch black, and water hyacinth has piled up until the river has become a dumping ground.

But young Jashore doctor Sadia Monowara Usha wants to see herself in the Bhairab's water. To make that dream real, she herself stepped into the foul-smelling, dirty water and began clearing the water hyacinth. She uploaded a photo of it to her own Facebook page and called on the people of Jashore to bring the Bhairab back to its original form. Her call drew an extraordinary response.

On the morning of 9 November, more than 50 young men and women gathered on the bank of the Bhairab. They then got down into the stinking river that had become a dump and began removing the hyacinth through voluntary labour. Thanks to their hard work, much of the stretch east of the Daratana Bridge is now clean.

But while voluntary labour can clear the waste for a while, bringing clear water back to the Bhairab will need long-term initiative from the administration, the young volunteers believe.

Volunteer Tariq Mahbub, who took part in the drive, said, "There is hospital waste, injection needles, glass and many risky things in this river's water. Even so, I joined this initiative after seeing Dr Usha's Facebook post."

Around 100 volunteers under the banner of the WAF Foundation also got into the river last Friday and cleaned the hyacinth. Every day, members of various organisations are joining, along with local residents.

Members of Jashore's Rabi Forum also joined the river cleaning. Forum member and BLAST Jashore coordinator Advocate Mostafa Humayun Kabir said, "It is because of the local administration's indifferent attitude that the river is in this state today. I could not stay home at this initiative of Dr Usha alone. Since today is a holiday, we from the Rabi Forum have also come to express solidarity with Dr Usha."

Janoudyog Jashore has long been working on reforming the Bhairab and preventing its pollution. Its members also took part in cleaning the river that day. Bithika Sarkar, manager of the organisation's Jashore centre, said, "Before dredging, the river including its banks was 263 feet wide; after dredging it has shrunk to 100 feet. A huge amount of money was spent on the dredging, yet there is disappointment over the river's present condition. That more than 50 young people have got into the river at one doctor's call gives a new message of hope. But one day's voluntary labour will not end all of the Bhairab's crises. What is needed is stopping river pollution, regular maintenance, removing the hyacinth and effective government initiative."

From 2018 to 2023, around 300 crore taka was spent on dredging the Bhairab, which flows through the heart of Jashore city, to bring back its tides. But with no regular maintenance after the dredging, the river is once again covered in hyacinth and garbage. There are allegations that waste from nearby hospitals, hotels, shops and homes is dumped directly into the river, spreading a stench and increasing the mosquito menace.

Sadia Monowara Usha grew up in Jashore city's Ghop and Barandipara areas, and the Bhairab is woven into her childhood memories. She is a student of the 20th batch of Khulna Medical College and an officer of the health cadre of the 39th BCS. She currently works as a medical officer at the Directorate General of Health Services in Dhaka, and has also served in Congo with the United Nations peacekeeping mission.

Though she has served in many places in her career, the plight of the Bhairab in her own city moved her. The Bhairab is an ancient waterway woven into Jashore's history, heritage and people's lives. The river that was once the city's life now pains her in its present state. So every morning she herself gets into the water to clear the hyacinth.

Usha said, "To stay healthy, medicine and a change of lifestyle are not enough; a beautiful environment is also needed. But the Bhairab, the life of the city, has now become a big drain. Waste is being dumped from hospitals, meat shops and various institutions on both banks of the river."

Usha added, "It began from a beautiful dream. The sky's shadow will fall again on the Bhairab's clear water, and the moon will be seen on a moonlit night. This dream of mine is no longer mine alone; many people have joined it. But this path is very difficult. Just as I do not give up hope in curing a patient as a doctor, I am not giving up hope in saving this Bhairab. For that, bringing back the river's flow, stopping encroachment and proper management are essential." Her mother Raonak Rayhana shares her feelings.

Meanwhile, Jashore Municipality has welcomed the volunteers' initiative. Kamal Hossain, engineer of the municipality's water and sewerage department, said, "The Bhairab river is Jashore's heritage and the city's life. Ordinary people coming forward to clean the river is praiseworthy. The municipality will take quick steps to stop waste being dumped in the river and in the cleanliness drive. The Water Development Board and other concerned organisations will also be involved in this work."