Despite repeated appeals from the locals and NGOs, working with these fish sanctuaries in Kaliakoir upazila of Gazipur district, the disposal of wastes originating from knitting, dyeing, finishing and tannery industries, goes unabated, said the locals and NGO workers.

Bangladesh government in 1998 undertook a project named the Management of Aquatic Ecosystems through Community Husbandry (MACH), supported by USAID, to manage the wetland resources centering around the river Turag and Mokosh and Awala beel in Kaliakoir upazila of Gazipur district.

Four NGOs, such as, Winrock International, Bangladesh Center for Advanced Studies (BCAS), Center for Natural Resource Studies (CNRS) and CARITAS Bangladesh, are implementing the project, involving the communities of the respective areas they work on.

So far, a total of five sanctuaries-three in the river Tungi and the other two in the beels, have been established to preserve the endangered fish species like Ruhit, Chital, Meni, Pabda, Foli, Sharputi and Kalibaus. Fishermen are strictly prohibited from fishing in those areas for three months usually when the fishes lay eggs.

With the support of NGOs, the local communities have been striving hard to preserve the endangered fish species for about five years. But the ceaseless release of toxic waste by the mills and factories, has been greatly undermining their concerted efforts, said Abdul Karim Pakhi, a local leader of a community based Resource (fishes) Management Organisation in Mouchak union under Kaliakoir upazila.

They even urged the factory owners to take appropriate measures for ensuring those wastes go through proper treatment so that those (wastes) cause less harmful effects to the fish population, he said.

"But owners of the industries paid no heed to our demand affecting not only the fish resources, but about one lakh people of the locality with the toxic wastes," said Abdul Karim.