Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has expressed deep concern over the long-standing illegal construction of establishments and rampant encroachment at the confluence of the Dhaleshwari and Shitalakkhya rivers, in blatant violation of river conservation laws.

TIB in a press release on Sunday made the call for the immediate blacklisting of the responsible company as the first step toward strict accountability, and urged for the eviction of illegal occupation to restore the rivers.

Shah Cement Company has filled approximately 24 acres of river land with sand and soil in the Mirersharai mouza of Munshiganj Sadar upazila, obstructing the natural flow of the river and altering its classification. The structures built on the encroached land are disrupting the water flow of the Dhaleshwari and Shitalakkhya rivers.

Additionally, the discharge of liquid and solid waste from the factory into the river is severely harming the environment and biodiversity. Clinker dust released into the air eventually settles into the river, causing further pollution.

Although the Munshiganj District Administration and the National River Conservation Commission (NRCC) identified the company as an ‘encroacher’ in 2018, 2019, and 2023, the government has yet to take effective action to protect the rivers.

Shah Cement is not only engaging in river-grabbing business operations with complete impunity, but is also profiting as a contractor in various publicly funded projects without any accountability.

Regarding the issue, TIB Executive Director Dr. Iftekharuzzaman said that there is no justification whatsoever for this operation that is destroying two rivers through encroachment.

“Such actions not only ruin the navigability of rivers but also gravely endanger the country’s ecological balance and the lives and livelihoods of river-dependent communities. By altering the natural structure of the river, it is significantly increasing the risks of floods, riverbank erosion, water crises, and flow-related disasters—ultimately affecting the economy and quality of life in Bangladesh,” he said.

 In 2019, a landmark ruling by the High Court granted legal personhood—or the status of a living entity—to all rivers within and flowing through Bangladesh. This means that killing a river is equivalent to taking a human life.

Even in this context, the river-grabbing company continues to fill up land at the confluence by dumping sand and soil, obstructing natural flow and effectively killing the river.

All illegal structures must be demolished, appropriate compensation must be recovered for the damage caused to the river and environment, and strict monitoring must be ensured to prevent such river-grabbing in the future, according to the TIB boss.