A Correspondent :
The government has withdrawn the decision to stop all kinds of fishing at the Kaptai Lake, one of the prime resources of the water and fish for the Chittagong hill Tracts (CHT). As a result, the fishermen can start fishing from today (Saturday) at Kaptai Lake again.
Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Rangamati Abdul Mannan said the government administration has withdrawn the decision to stop all fishing at the Kaptai Lake. The fishermen can start fishing from the current month at Kaptai Lake again.
He said after ending the season of brooding of fishes in the current year with a successful ban on fishing . “So, the fishermen can start fishing, the transport workers can carry the fishes from August in the current year.”
DC of Rangamati Abdul Mannan said, the ban was imposed for harvesting the fishes in the lake. “We want to make the fish and water lives friendly environment in Kaptai Lake. I hope that fishes can be grown up smoothly and naturally for the step to stop fishing at Kaptai Lake by the temporary ban on fishing at Kaptai Lake during the harvesting period from May to August.
He also hoped that more fishes would be collected after withdrawal of ban in next months. It may be mentioned that the government directed stoppage of all fishing at the Kaptai Lake from May 1 to until further order.
The local administration stopped the fishing for unlimited time to give opportunity for growing up the fishes at the lake. A taskforce was also formed to implement the government decision to stop all fishing at the Kaptai Lake. The local administration has taken decision for growing up fishes at the Kaptai Lake smoothly like every year.
Sources said, a meeting was held at the office of Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Rangamati on April 11 in this regard. The meeting was presided over by the DC of Rangamati Abdul Mannan. Among others, Additional DC Prokash Kanti Chowdhury, Member of Rangamati Jila Porishad Moni Chakma, District Fisheries Officer Mohammad Abdur Rahman, Research Officer of Fisheries Research Institute Kazi Belal Hossain, Joint Secretary of Rangamati District Awami League Jasim Uddin Babul, Director of Rangamati Chamber of Commerce and Industries Mamunur Rashid Mamun, journalist Mostafa Kamal, District Relief Officer Biswanath Majumdar and leaders of Rangamti Fisheries Merchant Association and officials concerned and other representatives were present at the meeting.
The meeting took decision to stop the fishing at the Kaptai Lake for indefinite period from May 1. Besides, they also took decision to procure a Harvester Machine worth around Tk 50 lakh for cleaning the Kaptai Lake to make the lake friendly for fishes and water lives. Besides, the administration will harvest 25 lakh MT of Curp fishes at Kaptai Lake in the current month. As a result, none should fishing at Kaptai Lake during the period. Besides, during the period, the ‘Fisheries Aroths’ (whole sell centers) will remain closed, the meeting has taken decision, sources said.
In the meeting, the authorities decided to give 20 kg rice to the each fisherman every week during the ban on fishing at Kaptai Lake. A taskforce was formed to implement the government decision to stop all fishing at the Kaptai Lake on that day. Additional District Magistrate (ADM) led the taskforce.
Sources said, the lake continues to serve as a valuable reservoir for hatchery and fish production as well. Fish produced in the lake meets local demand and is also supplied to Dhaka and other parts of the country. The average annual production of fish is more than 7,000 tons.
According to sources of the Bangladesh Fisheries Development Corporation (BFDC) the collection of fishes from Kaptai Lake in the first eight months of the last fiscal was 6889.89 MT. The income by fishing at Kaptai Lake was Tk 7.60 crore. The collection of fishes from Kaptai Lake in the first eight months of the previous fiscal was 6561.31 MT and income was Tk 5.25 crore.
According to the locals and environment activists of Kaptai and Ranmgamati, the pollution at Kaptai Lake is taking a serious turn due to open defecation by the slum dwellers and unabated dumping of garbage and wastes every day. Dumping of wastes, open defecation by the slum dwellers and the passengers of water transports are the prime causes of pollution at Kaptai Lake.
According to the sources, the ecological damage of the lake recently assessed shows that water pollution due to use of fertilizers and pesticides around the lake are affecting life in the water. In 1966, the share of big fishes in the total fish production was 78%, by recent period; it had come down to 2%. Also, more than five tons of human excrements and other wastes are reported to flow into the lake every day.
The government has withdrawn the decision to stop all kinds of fishing at the Kaptai Lake, one of the prime resources of the water and fish for the Chittagong hill Tracts (CHT). As a result, the fishermen can start fishing from today (Saturday) at Kaptai Lake again.
Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Rangamati Abdul Mannan said the government administration has withdrawn the decision to stop all fishing at the Kaptai Lake. The fishermen can start fishing from the current month at Kaptai Lake again.
He said after ending the season of brooding of fishes in the current year with a successful ban on fishing . “So, the fishermen can start fishing, the transport workers can carry the fishes from August in the current year.”
DC of Rangamati Abdul Mannan said, the ban was imposed for harvesting the fishes in the lake. “We want to make the fish and water lives friendly environment in Kaptai Lake. I hope that fishes can be grown up smoothly and naturally for the step to stop fishing at Kaptai Lake by the temporary ban on fishing at Kaptai Lake during the harvesting period from May to August.
He also hoped that more fishes would be collected after withdrawal of ban in next months. It may be mentioned that the government directed stoppage of all fishing at the Kaptai Lake from May 1 to until further order.
The local administration stopped the fishing for unlimited time to give opportunity for growing up the fishes at the lake. A taskforce was also formed to implement the government decision to stop all fishing at the Kaptai Lake. The local administration has taken decision for growing up fishes at the Kaptai Lake smoothly like every year.
Sources said, a meeting was held at the office of Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Rangamati on April 11 in this regard. The meeting was presided over by the DC of Rangamati Abdul Mannan. Among others, Additional DC Prokash Kanti Chowdhury, Member of Rangamati Jila Porishad Moni Chakma, District Fisheries Officer Mohammad Abdur Rahman, Research Officer of Fisheries Research Institute Kazi Belal Hossain, Joint Secretary of Rangamati District Awami League Jasim Uddin Babul, Director of Rangamati Chamber of Commerce and Industries Mamunur Rashid Mamun, journalist Mostafa Kamal, District Relief Officer Biswanath Majumdar and leaders of Rangamti Fisheries Merchant Association and officials concerned and other representatives were present at the meeting.
The meeting took decision to stop the fishing at the Kaptai Lake for indefinite period from May 1. Besides, they also took decision to procure a Harvester Machine worth around Tk 50 lakh for cleaning the Kaptai Lake to make the lake friendly for fishes and water lives. Besides, the administration will harvest 25 lakh MT of Curp fishes at Kaptai Lake in the current month. As a result, none should fishing at Kaptai Lake during the period. Besides, during the period, the ‘Fisheries Aroths’ (whole sell centers) will remain closed, the meeting has taken decision, sources said.
In the meeting, the authorities decided to give 20 kg rice to the each fisherman every week during the ban on fishing at Kaptai Lake. A taskforce was formed to implement the government decision to stop all fishing at the Kaptai Lake on that day. Additional District Magistrate (ADM) led the taskforce.
Sources said, the lake continues to serve as a valuable reservoir for hatchery and fish production as well. Fish produced in the lake meets local demand and is also supplied to Dhaka and other parts of the country. The average annual production of fish is more than 7,000 tons.
According to sources of the Bangladesh Fisheries Development Corporation (BFDC) the collection of fishes from Kaptai Lake in the first eight months of the last fiscal was 6889.89 MT. The income by fishing at Kaptai Lake was Tk 7.60 crore. The collection of fishes from Kaptai Lake in the first eight months of the previous fiscal was 6561.31 MT and income was Tk 5.25 crore.
According to the locals and environment activists of Kaptai and Ranmgamati, the pollution at Kaptai Lake is taking a serious turn due to open defecation by the slum dwellers and unabated dumping of garbage and wastes every day. Dumping of wastes, open defecation by the slum dwellers and the passengers of water transports are the prime causes of pollution at Kaptai Lake.
According to the sources, the ecological damage of the lake recently assessed shows that water pollution due to use of fertilizers and pesticides around the lake are affecting life in the water. In 1966, the share of big fishes in the total fish production was 78%, by recent period; it had come down to 2%. Also, more than five tons of human excrements and other wastes are reported to flow into the lake every day.
As 85% of the population living around the lake depends on the water for drinking, cooking, washing and bathing, health risks have increased sharply. Even the drinking water in Rangamati town supplied by the Public Health Engineering Department contained bacteria over 10 times of the acceptable number. The risk of malaria increased manifold with the huge body of stagnant and slow-moving water in the lake, sources added.
Kaptai Lake is a man-made lake in south-eastern Bangladesh which is located in the Kaptai upazila of Rangamati hill district. The lake was created as a result of building the Kaptai dam on the river Karnaphuli in 1962, as part of the Karnaphuli Hydro-electric project. The Kaptai Lake’s average depth is 100 feet (30 m) and maximum depth is 495 feet (151 m).
According to the experts, the estimated life of the lake is 90 years, at the end of which its bed is expected to be fully covered by silt. In the mean time, the lake is silting up rapidly. By the early 1990s, in its 30-year existence, it had already lost about 25% of its volume due to siltation.
