But, today, the water body has considerably shrunk in size and the water has turned poisonous because of industrial waste and human waste pouring into it in a never-ending flow.

On 15 May, I interviewed a fisherman at the Baridhara Lake who wishes to remain anonymous. He has been fishing for 5 years. He said he used to be a tennis trainer. He loves fishing; it is more of a pleasure for him than a source of income.

When he has a good catch then he sells the fish to his friends. Otherwise, he distributes a few to friends and keeps the rest for his family. At home he takes care of his 2 children while his wife goes out to work. That particular day, he was fishing from 12 until 5 in the afternoon and managed to catch 5 fish.

The lake is filled with fish like ruhi, katol, telapia, silver cup, pangash, singh & maghur. Rains increase the chance of catching fish.

Once a year the Samity (local association) organizes a competition for fishermen. Whoever catches the biggest fish within the given time wins. Some of the prizes were a colour TV, a motorcycle and many more. But the entry ticket is too expensive for the fisherman.

The Baridhara Lake is managed by Samity. The lake water is cured frequently with chemicals. At some point fish eggs are dropped in the lake for uninterrupted fishing. The Samity has provided 300 fishing booths, an individual fisherman per booth can sit comfortably with his belongings and catch fish. The lake has a minimum of 50 people fishing a day.

Rajuk (government body) has also started a walkway project early in the year at a cost of nearly Tk 40 lakh as an ‘interim step’ to demarcate the shores of the Gulshan and Baridhara lakes. It has already constructed a walkway along a good portion of the lake embankment.