Staff Reporter :
At least 5,574 illegal riverbank structures were demolished, recovering about 593 acres of occupied land in the first phase of government’s countrywide drive to free small rivers and canals from illicit encroachment.
The BWDB under the Ministry of Water Resources started countrywide eviction drive aiming to free small rivers, canals from encroachment on December 23 last year.
According to official sources, all district administrations and local offices of Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) carried out the drives to demolish structures encroaching small rivers, canals and water bodies.
The second phase of the drive began on February 23. The BWDB has set a target to evict 92,294 illegal structures from the rivers and other water bodies across the country during the current drive which began in all 64 districts at the same time, said Water Resources Secretary Kabir Bin Anwar.
He said that after a year-long effort, all the district administrators have made the list of illegal structures as per the Bangladesh Water Act-2013.
To stop re-encroachment, we have a plan to plant trees and build walkways along the canal, he added.
The ministry’s official data showed, a total of 1,022 illegal structures were demolished in Rajshahi division during the drive, recovering about 88 acres of land from occupation. Of those, around 700 illegal structures were evicted only in Sirajganj district.
In Khulna division, 1,038 illegal structures were removed from the banks of different rivers, recovering about 40 acres of land. Maximum 250 structures were demolished in Magura district during the year-long drive.
A total of 657 illegal structures were evicted in Rangpur division during the drive, recovering about 46 acres of land from river grabbing. Of those, around 465 illegal structures were evicted only in Dinajpur district.
In Barishal division, 201 illegal structures were demolished from riverbanks, recovering about 16 acres land during the eviction drive carried out by the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB).
A total of 768 structures were demolished in Dhaka division during the drive, recovering about 59 acres of land from rivers.
Also 863 illegal structures were evicted in Mymensingh division and recovered 58 acres of land. About 550 structures were evicted from the banks of Old Brahmaputra River in Mymensingh district.
In Sylhet division, 225 illegal structures were demolished from riverbanks, while a total of 800 establishments were removed from riversides in Chittagong, recovering 275 acres of land from occupation, showed the official data.
In Dhaka, the authorities started a drive on the bank of the Ramchandrapur canal in Mohammadpur.
