Intersection of the Legal Personhood of Rivers and the Law of the Sea in the Context of Bangladesh
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: River pollution significantly contributes to marine pollution in Bangladesh. The High Court Division of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh has granted legal personhood to the rivers of Bangladesh to safeguard them from pollution and illegal grabbing. While the river personhood aims to protect rivers, the UNCLOS , to which Bangladesh is a party, aims to protect the marine environment from pollution. Through a doctrinal legal analysis and drawing on existing literature on river personhood, law of the sea and pollution studies, this article explores the intersection between the legal personhood of rivers and the UNCLOS in the context of Bangladesh. The article demonstrates that river personhood can be a powerful tool in supporting Bangladesh’s compliance with the UNCLOS through local implementation and regional cooperation. This article makes a novel contribution to the existing scholarship demonstrating how this new approach (river personhood) can support protecting the marine environment from land-based pollution.
Author: Ishrat Jahan
Institution: The University of Melbourne
Language: English
Topic: Environmental law and policy
Subfield: Law
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7142273355