Government to Launch Automated River Water Quality Monitoring
Government is set to establish a comprehensive and modern framework for monitoring river water quality, beginning with the major rivers surrounding Dhaka. The monitoring system is going to be initiated with technical support from the South Korea-based Green Transition Initiative (GTI). To this end, a meeting on the project titled "Strengthening Water Quality Monitoring Systems in Bangladesh" was held today at the Bangladesh Secretariat here.
Under this initiative, a Korean expert team is identifying major pollution sources affecting rivers around Dhaka using GIS-based pollutant mapping. The team will also develop an evidence-based sampling protocol, including sample depth, locations of monitoring points, and frequency of sampling to standardise assessment procedures. As part of the deliverables, the consultants will prepare a detailed project proposal to be submitted under the GTI 2026 Cooperation Project's Feasibility Window.
This proposal will enable the launch of a fully automated water quality monitoring system for Dhaka's river network, with an implementation period anticipated between 2027 and 2030. Capacity-building activities and technical training will take place this December, followed by a detailed report summarising all project work completed during the current phase. Participants also explored opportunities for long-term initiatives beyond 2026, including developing a national-level automated water monitoring system, introducing a River Health Assessment protocol, and piloting a River Health Card.
They further considered selecting a specific river corridor as a pilot monitoring zone-preferably one manageable for close supervision and enforcement by the environment ministry or the Department of Environment (DoE). The meeting was attended by Additional Secretary Mohammad Navid Shafiullah; Joint Secretary Lubna Yasmine; Deputy Secretaries Fahmida Hoque Khan and Sidhartha Sankar Kundu of the ministry; along with AKM Rafiqul Islam, Director, Department of Environment.
Also present were Cho Ju Hyun, Director General, KEITI; Baek In Whan, Research Specialist, KEITI; Jung Keun Joon, Director, EMC Co. Ltd.; Yi Jeong Won, Deputy Director General, EMC Co. Ltd.; Kim Ayeon, Manager, EMC Co. Ltd.; and representatives from collaborating agencies. Presiding over the meeting, Additional Secretary Mohammad Navid Shafiullah highlighted that strengthening water quality governance is vital for protecting vulnerable communities living along polluted riverbanks.
He stressed real-time monitoring systems, digital water-quality platforms, and inter-agency data-sharing. He further noted that this cooperation would reinforce the strong existing partnership between Bangladesh and South Korea and open wider avenues in environmental technology collaboration.
